BERLIN (SW): Barcelona grabbed the title of European Champion as the Spanish club overcame Italy’s Juventus 3-1 in a superb Champions League final at the Berlin’s Olympic Stadium on Saturday.
Goals from Ivan Rakitic in the fourth minute, Luis Suarez in the 68th and Brazilian Neymar at the end of stoppage time sealed the Catalans' second treble, following their feat in 2009, after they also won the La Liga title and Spanish King's Cup.
Saturday’s final was the last game for Barca’s captain Xavi Hernandez for the Catalan club.
Xavi announced his retirement from Barca on Saturday (May 23) after lifting the La Liga trophy for his club after the final ended in a draw against Deportivo de La Coruna.
The 35-year-old midfielder was given a standing ovation as he left the field. His teammates wore special shirts to honor him after he announced to leave the Spanish champions at the end of the season to join Qatari side Al Sadd.
"I am the happiest man in the world today and for the 17 seasons I have been here," Xavi told the crowd after fighting back tears..
Xavi's abnormally good vision, pinpoint accurate passing and world class ball control allow him to dictate the flow of play while rarely relinquishing possession. His ability to completely control some matches has earned him the sobriquet, "The Puppet Master".
Considered one of the greatest midfielders to have played the game, Xavi effortlessly controlled play in the central areas and was at the heart of a glorious run for Barca and Spain over the past eight years.
He won four Champions League crowns with the Catalan giants and helped Spain clinch back-to-back European Championships in 2008 and 2012 and their debut World Cup in 2010.
“So much respect for Xavi. What a great player. What a great person”, Barcelona’s star player Lionel Messi wrote on his twitter handle to pay homage to the legend.
“"Tonight it was for Xavi to lift the Cup. It was an ideal end to a legendary career here", the mid-fielder Iniesta said in his remarks on the social networking site.
On his part, the maestro said he could have asked for nothing more. "There are no words, I can't ask for any more. To leave this way is perfect."
ENDS
