Messi is the man

As Barca beats Man United 3-1 in final UEFA CL final Saturday Barcelona 3-1 Man United WEMBLEY - Lionel Messi scored one goal and created another on Saturday to lead Barcelona to a 3-1 win over Manchester United and a third Champions League title in six years. Barcelona dominated possession at Wembley with trademark one-touch passing but needed the Argentina striker to conjure a 54th-minute solo strike from the edge of the area to take the lead for the second time. There seemed to be no space as Messi was tracked across the 18-meter (yard) line by fullback Patrice Evra, but the two-time world player of the year spotted a gap between the central defenders and hit a shot down the middle, beating goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar for pace. Messi followed his 53rd goal of a remarkable season with a feint and run that eventually led to David Villa receiving possession on the edge of the area, from where the Spain striker curled a shot into the top corner. With Pedro Rodriguez scoring Barcelona’s opening goal midway through the first half from an imaginative through ball from stand-in captain Xavi Hernandez, the win was as comprehensive as its 2-0 victory over United in the final two years ago. The performance was so comfortable that Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was able to bring on regular captain Carles Puyol for the last few moments, giving the injury-hit defender the chance to play a part in a memorable triumph. But in a gesture symbolizing Barcelona’s team ethic, Puyol handed the armband over to Eric Abidal—whose place in the team had been in doubt after he had surgery this season to remove a liver tumor—and the France defender lifted the famous trophy. United improved upon its 2009 final performance in Rome and did equalize in the 34th through Wayne Rooney, but could do little to disrupt Europe’s dominant footballing force. Commentators had said before the game that Barcelona, which had already won a third straight Spanish league title, would be ranked among football’s truly great sides with victory over United. Now, only Liverpool, AC Milan and Barcelona’s fierce rival Real Madrid have won more European Cups than the Catalan club’s four. Agencies