The 2009 Champions League final was more than just a final, it was England ‘vs.’ Spain, it was the two best teams in the world from the two best leagues in the world, it was supposed to be a classic.

Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona though gave a master class; they put on a show of the highest quality. The Spanish central midfield pairing of Xavi and Andres Iniesta didn’t misplace a pass, Lionel Messi looked as if he had superglue stuck to his boots and Barcelona played a style of football, on the grandest stage in European football, which may never be replicated again.

Manchester United, however, started the brighter of the two sides, a series of half chances came and went, half chances were all ‘The Red Devils’ were going to get. Victor Valdes fumbled an early Christiano Ronaldo free-kick and the former ‘United’ player, Gerard Pique, had to make a crucial intervention to stop the re-bound being placed home to give the English side the lead.

Barcelona’s defence was supposed to be a weakness pre-match, Victor Valdes was described as a liability bound to make a mistake. But it didn’t happen. Perhaps if Manchester United could have exerted more pressure it would have, but the Catalonian outfit didn’t allow it.

Samuel Eto’s 10th minute strike put Barca on top and after that, they stayed there. The goal was built upon a short sharp interchange of passes in the middle of the pitch at the Stadio Olympio from Iniesta and Xavi, Iniesta received the ball and drove forward before playing  a through pass for eventual goal-scorer Eto’o. The Cameroonian striker cut-inside of Nemanja Vidic using his pace and agility and slotted the ball low past Van Der Sar. Perhaps the Dutch goalkeeper could have done better, but the speed that Eto’o used to expose the central defender took him by surprise, it was too quick.

From then on it was no longer a battle; it was a sensational display of how football should be played from Barcelona. United were beaten, they couldn’t retain possession and began to look jaded. Barcelona had worn the English champions out, they couldn’t keep up with the tempo the Spaniard’s were playing, everything was done at 100 miles an hour, yet every pass, run and shot looked graceful.

Lionel Messi dashed away any glimmer of hope that Manchester United had. A cross from Xavi floated towards the far post and Messi peeled away, he hung in the air, it was as if he defied gravity. A header that was picture perfect, like everything else Barcelona had done for the 69 previous minutes, the ball looped over Van Der Sar and nestled in the corner of the goal. The smallest man on the pitch was built up to have magic in his feet but the truth is it surges throughout his body, from head to toe.

The final whistle was the first bit of respite Manchester United got all game; it provided an end to it all. Their stars had been made to look like novices. Rooney, confined to the left of the pitch for much of the game, was quiet, Ronaldo was a nonexistent. For Barcelona though the final whistle was a climax of the perfect season. Guardiola’s first in management had brought a style of football to the Camp Nou that set the boundary for every other club on the planet.

Carlos Puyol raised the trophy high above his head, as golden confetti descended from the Stadio Olympio roof. The emotion overcame the young Spanish manager Gaurdiola who was evidently emotional over his latest achievement after winning La Liga and the Spanish Cup in his debut season in management.

Manchester United had won their third consecutive Premier League title, the League Cup and the World Club Cup in this season but there was only one team that had the ability to produce a display of the magnitude shown in Rome. Barcelona.

Barcelona v Manchester United highlights