Of all the chants resounding round the Barca section of Wembley last night, few proved as popular as ‘ Porque,Porque, Porque’.
Why does Barca win was the question’s football’s agent provocateur Jose Mourinho asked, insinuating-as only he would-that the answer may lie in diving and deranged referees.
Well Mourinho eat your hat. The answer, as Alex Ferguson recognised, was blowing in the sweet air of a team’s collective genius which made an opponent of the quality of Manchester United struggle to keep in the game for much of the match.
It was only fitting that in a week that saw at least some of the alleged dirty washing of football’s governing body hung out to dry, a global audience of fans was treated by the world’s two great clubs to a display of sportsmanship in which one side excelled in its skill on and off the ball.
I can’t remember a match in which my natural instinct as a fan to jump and chant struggled with the wish to follow every detail of Barca’s performance, such was the mesmerising impact of the players’ movement around the pitch once Pep Guardiola’s team got into its stride.
That said, my nerves were on edge for most of the first half, as were those of my cule friends in Wembley’s Block H, with Man U dominating the first ten minutes or so, and then equalising thanks to Rooney. I was haunted by the prediction that some Man U fans had come to the stadium with: a 3-1 victory to them.
That they were proved wrong was in part down to the undisputed brilliance of an on form Lionel Messi and the constant threat he posed whether as an instigator, decoy, or executioner. Personally I cannot remember a match in which Messi celebrated a goal with such –almost Maradona-like- frenzied abandon. And one can’t blame him for that. This was the site of Rattin’s humiliating red card before Argentina’s defeat by England in the 1966 World Cup. And this was the site where Barca won its first ever European Cup in 1992.
But in the new Wembley, Messi not only conquered history but made a bold statement about a style of football that has already marked an era in the 21st century-to that extent he personified a collective achievement.
For last night’s victory was arguably the culmination of a process that was set in motion by Cruyff, and finessed by Guardiola during one of the most bruising seasons in Spanish club football. One dream team has metamorphosed into another.
My enduring moments at Wembley last night: the way the chants of the cules echoed globally; Abidal’s heroism; Pujol’s nobility (handing Abidal the captain’s badge); Pedro’s goal; Messi’s goal; Villa’s goal; Ferguson arguing with Rooney about tactics; Pep Guardiola being thrown in the air by his team; the circle of friendship that was created in the middle of the team before and after the match; Danny Alves leading fellow Brazilians on a merry celebratory dance; sharing the moment with fans who had travelled by coach all the way from Andalucia; the cules celebrating with tears and laughter; hearing Ferguson describe Barca as the best team he had ever played again. Amen to that.
Firstly, congratulations to Barça, a magnificent victory, richly deserved and undoubtably enjoyed by most football lovers all over the world.
Two intriguing questions are raised by the unforgetable heights attained last night.
The first is: are other clubs now going to follow suit? Following the saying, “if you can’t beat them, join them”, then will Real Madrid, Bayern, Chelsea, Manchester City & United, etc. start to change their styles? I doubt it. In the Premier, only Arsenal are anywhere near, and they are being heavily criticised for not winning silver in 6 years. It took Barcelona decades to get to this point via the Dutch influence. Real Madrid? I doubt it now Mourinho is fully in control.
The second is, if you can’t join them, then how to stop them: well, Manchester Utd showed the world that an “attacking” formation fails. Lets face it, Barcelona’s toughest test was against Mourinho, both last year and this year. So sending in Pepe with the troopers may be the only way. An extra midfielder and a spoiling game. We shall see…
Before I sign off, just a correction: Rattin was deservedly sent off, nothing humiliating about that. The Argentinian team were kicking their way through the 1966 competition, and later with Maradona in Mexico, cheating their way through. Funny thing, the tables have turned and the Argentinians have given the world Messi……no kicking or cheating from this boy.
And an observation: if Messi’s face was frenzied, then Villa was super frenzy…I think it reflects the desire to win and the explosion of joy as they saw the victory getting closer.
Finally, I never quite understand the violence in Barcelona after every cup glory? Why were 85 arrested and 134 injured in the City last night? Can’t the Catalans enjoy a victory without violence?
The cule silence has really suprised me!!!
You have just won the European Cup in glorious style, been praised by all including As, Marca & Cope, even me, a die-hard Chelsea fan…..and nothing!
Or are you all just arm chair supporters, who have forgotten the awesome display the day after, just hitching a ride with Barça?
I am waiting……….
To be fair, Carlos, my cule friends have not exactly been silent. My I-Phone temporarily collapsed post-match at Wembley and I have not been short of emails. But I too am awaiting some more enlightened responses to the only blog that matters
Jimmy,
It reminded me of Leeds United in their glory days. Eddie Gray was our Messi, Biully Bremner our Puyol, Terry Cooper our Alves with Johnny Giles and Paul Madeley our Iniesta and Xavi with Alan Clark our David Villa. Yes, that old Leeds team could pass it about and make the opposition look a bit leaden. What struck me most, apart from the skills on display, was the way Barca worked so hard to win the ball back when they lost it. Yes, a great team, possibly even better than Leeds United at their best.
Richard, Good of you to remind us that , among English clubs, Man U , Liverpool, Sours, Arsenal and Chelsea are not the only ones who can claim to have had some glory days.
good for barca. But don’t forget that his arrival to the final is not clean enought.
rafa