19.12.2009 19:09
The infinite champions
David Saura
The Zayed Stadium has officially consecrated the best team in the world. FC Barcelona have bid farewell to a glorious, magnificent, legendary 2009 year by winning their sixth title. More than any Barça fan could have possibly wished for.
If anybody had any doubt, Barça have finally shown that they are the best team in the world. We
always knew that, but now we can say that with confidence, and nobody can possibly argue. The Clubs
World Cup says it all. Barça have displayed their unique, brilliant style of play, always looking
to combine talent and commitment, and gaining the respect and recognition of the whole wide world.
The only one that was missing
The Clubs World Cup is in the bag. It is a title Barça have been dreaming of since that the
disappointment of 1992. Third time lucky, one could say, but there was no luck involved in the way
Barça have shown the planet just what worthy winners they were. FC Barcelona have won all six
trophies this season in impeccable style – showing a kind of dominance that football has
rarely witnessed before.
Insuperable
Barça’s football has been simply stunning ever since Josep Guardiola took over
the team, and it is impossible to find anything but words of praise to describe what they have
achieved this year. Title after title has fallen, and the only side that could ever be compared to
Barça is the great Ajax of 1972, led by Johan Cruyff, who won all five trophies on offer. They
didn’t make it to six by winning their domestic Super Cup that season, but that was because
it didn’t exist at the time.
So, the rest of the world can only took on in awe as Barça celebrate the Clubs World Cup, the
Champions League, the Spanish League and Cup double, and the Spanish and European Super Cups to
boot. Anybody that wants to see football played to perfection need look no further than Barcelona,
a city that has produced a football team the likes of which has never been seen before.
Guardiola the mastermind
Behind all of that is the figure of Pep Guardiola. The name of the man
from Santpedor will forever be synonymous with achievements that no Barcelona manager has managed
before. Everything he touches turns to gold. He has ensured that everything that is good about this
wonderful club is reflected in its glorious football. He has only been at the club for one season
and a half, and yet his name is already down in gold letters in the Barça legend.
Six trophies
This is the Barça that won 2-6 at the Bernabéu, the Barça that won the
treble, the Barça that hit the world for six. It is almost impossible to put the achievements of
this side down in words, but those are some of the wonderful feats with which this historic year
will be associated. Only time will tell how 2009 will be commemorated in Barça history, but for the
time being it is a record that nobody can possibly beat. FC Barcelona have won everything! On
Saturday in Abu Dhabi, we have seen that this club’s ambitions know no limits.