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Barcelona coach shrugs off 'greatest' tag after triumph

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-05-30 07:54

Barcelona's Spanish coach Josep Guardiola is put through in the air in celebration at the end of the UEFA Champions League final match against Manchester United on Saturday at Wembley stadium in London. Barcelona won 3-1 to win the European title. Glyn Kirk / Agence France-Presse

Messi leads the way to club's fourth European crown at Wembley

London - Barcelona may have entered the pantheon of European soccer's greatest teams, but coach Pep Guardiola is keeping his feet on the floor following Saturday's destruction of Manchester United.

Barcelona lit up Wembley with one of the great performances on Saturday, mesmerising United with a bewitching display that left the English champion grasping at shadows en route to a 3-1 defeat.

It was the Spanish side's second Champions League triumph in three years and confirmed the view of many pundits that Guardiola's men are the greatest club side soccer has ever seen.

Guardiola, who has amassed 10 major trophies in his three years as coach of the club he graced as a player for 17 years, resisted the invitation to compare his team with legendary sides of the past.

"I don't know," said Guardiola when asked for his opinion on where his team stood in the annals of history. "I didn't see the Ajax of (Johan) Cruyff, I didn't see the Real Madrid of (Alfredo) Di Stefano and I didn't see the Santos of Pele.

"But if in 10 or 15 years time people remember us for the football that we are playing now, that will make me very happy."

Former Barcelona striker Gary Lineker wrote in his News of the World newspaper column on Sunday that Guardiola's men could eventually claim the right to be called soccer's best ever team.

"Other teams have played wonderful football but when you add fitness and mental strength, you have a side that are well on the way to becoming the greatest club side of all time," Lineker said.

"To achieve that status, Pep Guardiola's team will have to win the Champions League two or three more times.

"However pretty your football, your legacy is ultimately judged on silverware. The early Real Madrid teams and Arrigo Sacchi's AC Milan lifted the trophy as well as raising the bar in terms of what football could be.

"You would not bet against this Barcelona team doing it."

With his second European Cup triumph, Guardiola has become one of the hottest coaching properties in world football.

The 40-year-old deflected questions about his future on Saturday by stating that he would remain at Barcelona for at least another season.

"I feel privileged to have these players. My future will be very tough as I'll be at another club with other players, thinking 'where are these kinds of players?'." added Guardiola.

Agence France-Presse

(China Daily 05/30/2011 page23)