THE FINAL SAY:A Champions League miscellany
ERIC ABIDAL said he was stunned with gratitude after Barcelona captain Carles Puyol invited him to lift the Champions League trophy and cap a triumphant return from illness at Wembley on Saturday.
Puyol made the gesture to his team-mate at the end of their 3-1 win over Manchester United, clearing the way for the Frenchman to take the honour, following his return to the side after having a liver tumour removed.
“I can’t explain the emotions I have,” Abidal told reporters. “It’s spectacular. I’m so thankful for the gesture.” Barca were shocked in March when Abidal, who had been in imperious form, was diagnosed with a liver tumour.
After undergoing surgery to have the tumour removed, the 31-year-old returned as a late substitute to a rapturous reception in the Champions League semi-final second leg at the Camp Nou at the start of this month, when Barca secured a 3-1 aggregate win over Real Madrid.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola also praised his captain for a gesture he described as making the club stronger.
“I want to thank Carles publicly for the gesture,” he said. “It honours the club and makes us stronger.
“It’s another demonstration of the sort of club I understand we are and demonstrates the human qualities of the dressing room.”
Berbatov: On way out?
DIMITAR BERBATOV looks certain to discover within the next couple of weeks whether he has any future at Manchester United.
Although the Bulgarian and his representatives have repeatedly stressed there is no desire to leave the club, his prospects of remaining at Old Trafford look bleak. Not only was the 30-year-old left out of the squad at Wembley, Michael Owen, who took his place, remained on the bench.
“It was a difficult decision,” said Ferguson. “It was not something I found easy. I wanted to overload my substitutes in the midfield positions because that was the area which most important in terms of the way Barcelona play.
“It came down to a choice between Michael Owen and Dimitar Berbatov. My view was that if we needed someone to nick a goal in the last few minutes of the game, Michael Owen, with his experience, was the man.”
Barcelona celebrations turn ugly
POLICE DETAINED more than 80 people for public order offences and other infringements, while around 130 fans needed medical attention after celebrations of Barcelona’s fourth European title turned ugly on Saturday.
Around 50,000 gathered in the centre of the Catalan capital to mark the 3-1 victory over Manchester United at London's Wembley Stadium and most celebrated peacefully, police said in a statement yesterday.
However, 84 people were later detained for public order offences, throwing stones and other objects, damaging city property and attacking officers, the statement said. Some 37 police were among the injured, though none were seriously hurt.
The Barca players displayed the Champions League trophy through the city on an open-top bus starting at the port yesterday and the procession made its way up to the club’s giant Camp Nou stadium.
Messi: "We want to keep winning trophies"
LIONEL MESSI has warned the world that Pep Guardiola’s team are hungrier than ever after confirming their place among history’s greatest sides at Wembley.
“This team is incredible,” he said. “I think today we can’t really fully appreciate what we’re doing, what we are achieving.
“We want to keep winning trophies – and we can keep going further and further.”
Even the modest Messi had to acknowledge the gulf in class.
“We were superior against Manchester and deserved the win,” he said.
“It is another cup for us and I managed to score a goal again. I saw a bit of space there, the goalkeeper came out a bit and luckily it went in.
“Now we’re going on holiday – after taking the cup home to our people – then we will start thinking about what we can achieve next season.”
