Better than United and Chelsea: Barca simply the best

Hate to say I told ya so! No…..on second thought, I’m actually delighted to say it!

Delighted that my instincts, in picking the best team I have seen in my lifetime, prevailed in the face of vehement protests about other "much better" clubs considered for that honor.

Manchester United fans seem to agree that their heroes lost the Champions League final to a better outfit, although the diehards would surely never admit it in public. If they were honest with themselves, the denizens of Old Trafford would describe Barcelona not as "better" but "far superior" to the team Alex Ferguson put out on Wednesday evening.

No shame in that -- the Spaniards have played almost everyone they’ve met this season off the proverbial park.

And Chelsea fans…please! Are you lot still convinced that your team is better than the Spanish League and Cup winners, and now champions of Europe? Oh yeah, that’s right, you still conveniently forget Ballack handling the ball in the penalty area after four minutes at Stamford Bridge?

Chelsea are an exceptional team, but, like United, were totally outclassed by Barcelona in this season’s Champions League.

Barca, the best in Europe, can be expanded to "best in the world" most fans would agree. Although they’ll meet, and may even struggle against (European teams always do for some inexplicable reason) the best South America has to offer in the World Club championship later this year, rest assured there is no team in the Americas who would have made the last four of Europe’s premier club competition.

Barca... the best team ever? They were talking about it in TV studios across Europe on Wednesday evening, which is recognition in itself. Some ventured to go that far, others cited the Catalans’ lack of defensive acumen as a possible stumbling block (artists are generally recognized by the masses long after their wonder years, aren’t they?).

But there are none as blind as those who will not see. I ask them: who needs defense when you can control the ball for most of the game, and when your offense is as potent and attack-minded as is Barcelona’s? That’s the way the game should be played -- create your own defense by striking fear into the hearts of your opponents via possession and attacking football.

"Best team on the planet", "best team of all time", and "the greatest game ever played’" are all labels I have used in describing Barcelona this season (the latter was attributed to Pep Guardiola’s men following their recent 6-2 victory at Real Madrid, while simultaneously considering the great performances of the Brazilian, Italian, German and Dutch national teams over the years, not to mention those from Liverpool, Manchester United and AC Milan).

The sideshow was all about Ronaldo and Messi, a duel which the Argentine won handily; but what about Andres Iniesta? Has he not earned the right to be considered among the world’s best? And who of you noticed the carefully chosen words of Ronaldo within hours of the final whistle in Rome?

The Portuguese winger who pledged his future to Manchester United just days ago all but blamed Ferguson for defeat in referring to his team’s poor tactics on the night. Open season then for transfer speculation -- and a now typical M.O. of the current World Player of the Year. Expect to see him in Spain this summer with Real or even Barca.

But if the PA system at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday night wasn’t blasting out the lyrics of Tina Turner’s song "Simply the Best", in recognition of the best soccer team in the world, then it ought to have.

I hope you’ll join me in hailing Barcelona F.C, the Spanish League and Cup winners, and European champions, as the greatest football team that ever lived.