Twelve minutes from the end of an enthralling, unrelenting Champions League final, two Barcelona legends stood on the touchline and embraced. Andres Iniesta jogged to the touchline, took off the captain’s armband and wrapped it meticulously around the upper arm of Xavi, his replacement. Then Iniesta shoved Xavi out into battle for one last time.
Barcelona’s fans, massed in the giant curve behind the goal to the right, let out a great roar. They understood this moment of symbolism better than anybody. The best team of our generation was saying goodbye to one era and ushering in another in the same instant.
Xavi, their heart and soul through the magical Pep Guardiola years, will leave for Al Sadd in Qatar in the summer and others will follow him away from the Nou Camp. But the greatness will live on. Barcelona proved that. This is a new team now, a team still capable of breathtaking football that can make your heart sing but a team that can be tough and pragmatic, too. A team who know how to win.
Of course, they were beautiful to watch here in the Olympic Stadium as they beat Juventus 3-1 to win their fifth European Cup, joining Bayern Munich and Liverpool in the number of their triumphs. But this was a game they won with guts as well as guile. Juventus made sure of that.
(dailymail.co.uk)
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