by Luca Caioli
Lionel works with Xavi and Iniesta, and together the magic threesome begin to do some damage and take control of the ball, denying Manchester United any chances. Together, they delight the crowd with their creativity, precision and speed.
With a spectacular dodge to the right of Víctor Valdés, Wayne Rooney equals Pedro’s goal and offers some short-lived excitement to the fans whose hopes are still high. But it is just an illusion which barely impacts what the Blaugrana have achieved in the first half and what they still have left to do. All they need to do is go back to building up momentum, passing back and forth and pressing their opponents. They just need to finish it off once and for all. And nobody can do that better than Messi.
Back again to the two midfield magicians. Xavi to Iniesta; Iniesta passes it to Leo. A seemingly inoffensive pass. One of the 812 (726 good, 86 bad) racked up by Barça in the final. Leo is 35 yards from goal. Three touches, and before United’s defender has realised the danger, he moves into the centre and closes in at 20 yards. Evra tries to get close, but he cuts past him and shoots. Clean, powerful. A left-footed shot from outside the area. On the last day of his long and glorious career, 40-year-old Edwin Van Der Sar sees the ball too late. He has no time to react. He dives and stretches as far as possible, but the ball ricochets off the ground and swerves into the net. ‘I got some space, the goalie came out and luckily it went in,’ says Messi later. It is not the most stunning goal the number 10 has ever scored for Barça, but he celebrates like never before. This is the one that puts Barça ahead just when they need it the most. The United fans’ hopes are already melting away, even before David Villa later seals the deal with a perfectly timed arc which soars into the goal.
After his goal, Leo screams like a madman, he shoves away a microphone which is blocking his route to the corner flag, he kicks the advertisement boards, and if it hadn’t have been for his teammates catching him and hugging him, he would have been on his way to celebrating directly with the Blaugrana fans in the stands.
He has scored 53 goals in 54 games this season (31 in La Liga, twelve in the Champions League, seven in the Copa del Rey and three in the Spanish Supercup). He is level with Cristiano Ronaldo, who has claimed the title of top Liga scorer with 40 goals – a title which doesn’t seem to matter much to the Flea. In terms of individual achievements, he places more emphasis on the various cups.
In the Champions League, he is in the lead: twelve goals, equalling Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record. The Dutchman scored the same number with Man United in 2002–03. For the third consecutive year, Messi is the top Champions League goal-scorer. In 2008–09 he scored nine, and despite not reaching the final in 2009–10, he was crowned top scorer with eight goals. The only others to reach the same heights were the German Gerd ‘The Nation’s Bomber’ Müeller and Frenchman Jean Pierre Papin.
He has scored a total of 39 goals in his 59 Champions League matches, a fantastic achievement. And that’s not all. He has finally broken a curse: in all the eight matches he had played on English turf, he had never once managed to score until now. ‘Gaby Milito said that I was going to end my run of never having scored in England in this match – and luckily it happened. Scoring another goal in a final and helping to win an important title is really wonderful and I hope all the fans enjoyed it,’ says the Flea later.
Twenty-three years of age, top Champions League scorer for the third time, not to mention winner of fourteen other titles. But statistics and trophies aside, it is worth noting that when it matters most, Messi is there when needed, he is always a game-changer and he always plays to the best of his abilities.
‘He is the best player I have ever seen, and will ever see,’ says Pep Guardiola after the final. ‘We could compete at a very high level, but without him we wouldn’t be able to play such a high quality game. We have demonstrated that we are capable of working very hard, we have talent, and we have Messi. He is a unique and irreplaceable footballer. I hope he doesn’t get bored, I hope we can continue to make him feel comfortable and I hope the club continues to surround him with good enough players. I also hope that he can stay happy in his personal life, because when that happens Leo cannot fail.’
No, Messi has never failed and he has never been bored, not even for a single minute at Wembley or during the entire 2010–11 season. It has been a year tempered by the eternal duel with Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo. Five derbies, four of them in the space of a particularly eventful month.
The first encounter takes place on Monday 29 November 2010. It is a strange day for a Barça-Real match, but there are general elections in Catalonia on the Sunday, so it is better not to compound the politics with added drama. Adverts about the game have hailed it as the most closely matched Clásico for years, indicating the possibility of a transfer of power from Barcelona to Real Madrid. Why? Because, they say, Cristiano is better than Messi, because Özil is a genius, because di María and Benzema are the two best strikers. Because Mourinho is not Manuel Pellegrini, nor is he Bernd Schuster or Juande Ramos or even Fabio Capello.
The Portuguese coach is the one who was capable of crushing the Blaugrana’s collective efforts from the Inter dugout just six months earlier, denying Guardiola and co. their ticket to the Champions League final in Madrid. He is the man chosen by the Real president as the antidote to the Catalan magic. A coach who, from the highest position in La Liga (unbeaten, and one point ahead of Barça on 32), questions Barcelona’s successes and accuses the referees and rival managers of handing them all the power.
Classic propaganda from the Special One – a show of bravado that costs him dearly. By the end of a cold and rainy night at the Nou Camp, the goals number five and they could have easily been six, seven or eight without anyone calling foul play. The Whites have been tangoed in every direction. Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kick from 45 yards which grazes the outside edge of Valdés’s goalpost, and a shove against Guardiola after an offside decision – which creates a general commotion and an argument between the managers – have all been long since forgotten. He leaves Barcelona without having notched up a single goal in the six games he has played against them.
Messi hasn’t scored either, breaking a run of ten consecutive games in which he has scored, but he has been generous and helped set up goals three and four for David Villa with surgical precision. The Flea has ruffled Carvalho, Lass, Pepe and Sergio Ramos’s composure, and after a senseless foul on the Argentine in the 92nd minute and a punch-up between Puyol and Xavi, the red card finally comes out. Ramos has lost control, which is not unusual in such a game of nerves, particularly when the Whites know that Mourinho’s game plan is still under construction, his ideas still need fine tuning, and he still doesn’t know how to beat his eternal rivals. Interestingly, this is the first time a team led by Mourinho has been beaten 5-0.
At the press conference, the manager assumes an air of calm for once. ‘It is a very easy defeat to get over,’ he says. ‘It is not one of those games where we deserved to win and then lost, or where we continually hit the woodwork. There was one team that played well and another that played badly. You have to be good natured. When you win important titles then you have a reason to cry with happiness. When you lose like we did today you don’t have a right to cry, you have to get back to work. We’ll live to play another day.’ But the Special One will have to wait until 16 April 2011 for his next duel with Barça, the first in a marathon of Clásicos.
From 29 November onwards Team Pep has retained its place at the top of the league. With sixteen consecutive victories they have beaten the record set by Real Madrid’s 1960–61 team (which included Puskas, Di Stéfano, Gento and Santamaría) and they are eight points clear of their rivals. On 12 April, four days before their next Real derby, they beat Shakhtar Donetsk 0-1 in the first leg and 5-0 in the second, to make it to the semi-finals of the Champions League where the draw dictates they will meet Real. The Whites beat Lyon in the final sixteen, and in the quarters they dispatched Spurs with ease (4-0 at home, 0-1 at White Hart Lane).
So now, as well as the usual Liga derby, there will be two more in the Champions League semi-finals, the first leg on 27 April and the second on 3 May. And on top of that, the final of the Copa del Rey is on 20 April.
Let’s start with the 32nd Liga match day, the last chance for Mourinho’s team to get back into the race for the title. Eight points is a lot but who knows … a victory for the Whites could help to bring down their rivals’ morale and could have an effect on the remainder of the season. On 3 April Real Madrid suffered a devastating loss against Sporting which put them further out of reach – Mourinho’s first home league loss in nine years. But the Clásico is another story. Mourinho has been preparing for this as though it were a stage production.
The night before the derby, he appears at the press conference in Valdebebas and does not utter a word. He lets Aitor Karanka, his second in command, do all the talking. He doesn’t even greet the journalists and some of them leave as a sign of protest. In response to the Madrid manager’s silence, Guardiola offers some praise of the opponent’s game: ‘I have never seen a team as good as this Madrid team. In four or five seconds the ball can go from Casillas to the opponent’s goal. They are better and stronger than they were the last time we met, they shoot more, they pass more, and in the second half of the year they have spent more time playing as a team. They use a diverse range of tactics which makes them more difficult to control.’ And with regard to the coach he adds: ‘Mourinho is very powerful. He knows how to play a wide range of styles. We should watch closely because this dictates the way we attack and defend.’
The Portuguese’s presence has intensified the atmosphere. He will undoubtedly be the decisive Clásico protagonist off the pitch. On the pitch, that role belongs to Messi. At this point in the season, the little number 10 has achieved a fantastic score of 48 goals in 45 matches. He is the highest scoring Barça player in a single season, beating Ronaldo Nazario’s 1996–97 record when Bobby Robson was the coach. And he is ahead of rival Cristiano Ronaldo by thirteen goals. The Flea has also made eighteen assists as compared to Cristiano’s seven and 43 successful runs against the white number 7’s 34, but his contribution to the team is worth more than statistics. ‘Messi gives us so much more than goals,’ maintains Víctor Valdés. ‘In the way he supports the team both in defence and attack. His hard work has a positive effect on everyone.’
Every time he plays he demonstrates more skill, better teamwork. He gets more involved in the action and he knows when to speed up the game and when to slow it down. ‘He turns the mundane into the extraordinary,’ explains Guardiola. But he has never scored against a team led by Mourinho and this will be his ninth game against him.
Penalty in the 52nd minute. Albiol brings down Villa in front of goal. He is sent off, and when it comes to the penalty the Flea doesn’t miss. In the 82nd minute, rival Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t miss either. Another penalty levels the score – it’s his seventh match against the Blaugrana and his first goal.
The score is 1-1 at the end of a weak and unpleasant match. Fearing another goal, Real put up a backline defence intended to block the opponent and create a struggle. It is a Catenaccio-style defence tactic worthy of the Italians. The only way to win is from set pieces or counterattacks. Despite having been ahead and having the extra man, Barça struggle and don’t know how to seal the game. It’s a draw which still leaves Barça an arm’s length away from their 21st Liga title, giving Real confidence in terms of what’s to come. So much confidence that the fans at the Bernabéu celebrate the draw as though it is a win.
It’s a rough match which has unleashed a string of controversies. The first is prompted by Mourinho, who criticises the referee at the press conference and paints a picture of a web of hidden powers which penalise any team he manages, be it Chelsea, Inter or Madrid. ‘I’m tired of finishing every match against Barça with ten men. It was a very balanced game while we each had eleven. And then, as so often happens, with eleven against ten it’s practically mission impossible against a team whose possession of the ball is the best in the world. Once again, I am witnessing unbelievable double standards on the part of the referees.’
Mourinho aside, there is another controversy which must be taken more seriously. This time it’s Leo Messi in the spotlight, for kicking a ball into the stands. The ball runs away from him on the touchline, and instead of letting it go out, he sends it flying, hitting some fans in the crowd. The referee doesn’t caution him, but the fans voice their disapproval. ‘Are you crazy?’ exclaims Pepe, rushing over to him. The fans are amazed, they cannot believe what they have just seen. What’s going on with that Rosario boy? He rarely loses his cool on the pitch. Why did he pull such a nasty stunt?
The boy in question gives no explanation and he doesn’t seem to apologise either. His teammates come to his rescue. In his defence they cite the extreme tension on the pitch, Leo’s sense of frustration in the face of Pepe’s close marking, and they highlight the Real midfielder’s five fouls against their number 10 without so much as a booking. These recurring themes will be heard again and again as the soap opera continues.
It’s 20 April, the day of the Copa del Rey final in Valencia. The game at Mestalla stadium breaks down into three distinct parts: in the first half, Madrid play superbly; in the second half, Barça shine; but in extra time it’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Mourinho who are the winners. The Portuguese number 7 gets round Adriano and nets a powerful header after a curling cross from di María. It’s the winning goal, clinching the cup for Real for the first time in eighteen years.
And where was Messi? ‘He was desperate. He tried to get things going from wherever he happened to be in the attack, but with no luck,’ says El País in its evaluation of his performance. ‘His zigzags invariably landed him in the clutches of the Real players. The Flea was controlling the play far too much – in the first half the team hardly passed the ball at all. After the break everything changed and the deep passes to Pedrito were excellent. Unfortunately, the solitary goal was ruled offside. In the end, he took advantage of his position as a leader, trying to control the play too much, and this allowed Real Madrid to make a comeback.’ It is a fair assessment, and it is also the first defeat in a final for Barça under Guardiola.
Seven days later, it is the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. In the press conference at the Bernabéu the day before, Pep Guardiola loses his rag. Mourinho has sent him some message or other about the quality of the refereeing at the Mestalla match and the choice of referee for the semi-final, and Pep explodes, ranting for more than two minutes. This is unheard of for the coach. ‘Since Mr Mourinho has addressed me in such familiar terms and called me “Pep”, I’ll call him “José”,’ he begins. ‘At 8.45 tomorrow evening, we have a game to play. He has already been winning all year off the pitch. Let him have the Champions League. He can take the trophy home with him. We will be playing, whether we win or lose. Normally, he wins because his career is guaranteed. We are happy. With our little victories, which everyone admires, we are happy. In this room, he’s the bloody boss, the goddamn master. He knows more than everyone else put together. I have no desire whatsoever to compete with him.’
The next day, Lionel Messi is the master on the pitch, but at the press conference it’s Mourinho once again. Two successful plays, and two goals by the Argentine, bringing down a Real Madrid team which has resorted to conservative tactics and possessive guarding of the area. Right from the start, the Whites move to block Messi’s game, but they don’t make any attempt to play their own. So much so that after a quarter of an hour, Cristiano Ronaldo is signalling desperately to his teammates to move out of their positions so that he can play with them, and so that they can create chances for him. At the end of the first half, he is the one who creates the most dangerous opportunity for Real. He launches the ball from far out, creating plenty of difficulty for Valdés – difficulty matched only by a shot from Özil later in the game. But at this point, Ronaldo’s attempt is their only chance worth
mentioning.
At the other end, Messi is playing as deep as midfield, being kept far away from the box where he can do the most damage. He keeps himself busy with runs and dodges which go nowhere. But things change in the 60th minute when Pepe falls with full force onto Dani Alves’s leg. He is immediately shown the red card. He can argue all he wants, but German referee Wolfgang Stark will not be deterred. And two minutes later he has no qualms about removing José Mourinho from the dugout either. Expelled for his over-the-top reaction.
Barça now have eleven men against Real’s ten, and Leo is able to get into the opponent’s area. In the 77th minute, buzzing between white shirts like a careless wasp around the edge of the area, he takes a shot. It’s deflected, Xavi retrieves it and passes it out to Afellay on the wing. The Dutch midfielder makes a run and crosses it in towards the penalty spot. Messi gets there first, beating Sergio Ramos to the ball. He taps it into the goal with his toe and it’s 1-0. Ten minutes later the Flea completes his encore. This time it’s magnificent: he leaves the centre circle, passes to Busquets who passes it back, he sets off on a slalom leaving Ramos behind and breaking free from Albiol, changes direction, gets into the box, dodges past Marcelo and before Ramos can catch him he finishes it off in spectacular style.
Game, set, match. He is certainly the master of this particular match. Once again, Mourinho outdoes himself in the art of provocation, determined to dominate the press conference. ‘Real Madrid is out of the Champions League,’ he says. ‘We will go to the Nou Camp with our pride intact, with total respect for our footballing world, albeit a world which every so often makes me feel a little bit disgusted. We will go without Pepe, who didn’t do a single thing wrong, and without Ramos, who didn’t do anything wrong, and without the coach, who is not allowed to be in the dugout … with a scoreline which is practically insurmountable.
‘And if by chance we score a goal over there and we get a little closer to staying in it, I’m sure they’ll quash us all over again. My question is, why? Why aren’t other teams allowed to play against them? I don’t understand it! If I told the referee and UEFA what I think about what has gone on here, my career would be over immediately. I don’t know if it’s because they’re patrons of UNICEF, or because they smile more sweetly, or because Villar [president of the Spanish Footballers’ Association] has so much clout within UEFA. The fact is that they have something which is very difficult to come by – power.