THE CHAMPIONS: FC BARCELONA//UPDATE: Read appreciative concessions of defeat by England’s best sports writers
May 28, 2011
Today’s 3-1 win over Manchester United–and the score barely hints at their superiority throughout–puts the icing on the sweet, sweet cake that Barça have been serving to soccer/futbol/football fans around the world for many years.
To watch Barcelona in action is to witness not only a sporting event, but performance art at the highest level.
Yes, of course, there is the great Lionel Messi, at age 23 already perhaps the greatest player in the history of the sport, so splendidly portrayed by Jere Longman in the New York Times last week.
But today’s triumph, like all of Barça’s finest moments, arose not only from acts of individual brilliance, but from a degree of mental and physical teamwork–and from a level of psychic connection among teammates–seldom, if ever, seen before in any sport.
The motto of FC Barcelona is Més que un club–“More than a club.”
Barça paid for that in blood during the Spanish Civil War, when the city and the club were at the center of Catalonian resistance to Franco’s Madrid-based fascist regime.
But the team’s stunning triumph in the Champions League final makes today a day not for history lessons, but celebration.
If the current FC Barcelona were to adopt a new motto and theme song, nothing would be more fitting than Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.”
That’s what their unique brand of artistry and athleticism bring to the world.
UPDATE:
Read about it from Paul Hayward in The Guardian here
and see the peerless Henry Winter’s story in The Telegraph here
All I can add is the new prayer I recite daily in thanks for the privilege of being able to watch Lionel Messi perform:
“God Bless The Mess.”
Posted in Joe McGinniss | 
Tags: catalonia, champions league, fc barcelona, guardian, henry winter, jere longman, lionel messi, new york times, paul hayward, spanish civil war, telegraph
9 Responses to “THE CHAMPIONS: FC BARCELONA//UPDATE: Read appreciative concessions of defeat by England’s best sports writers”
Barcelona–more than a club–make football more than a sport.
My son agrees with you. We live in Europe……
The beautiful game right enough. In the second half, Manchester could scarcely get a boot in.
I like this story. You should continue to write about stuff other than Palin. It enhances you credibility.
There’s so little coverage of this sport in the U.S. that I didn’t even know the game was scheduled. For something like this, I would buy a TV set!
“God Bless The Mess.” I love it!
Some people put him in the same class as Ronaldo and Rooney, but I think he’s their superior in every way. He’s the total package. And he’s not selfish (like Ronaldo). He doesn’t just score himself but sets up goals for the team all the time. His vision of the game puts him in a class by himself.
Joe-
Are you following the news from Italy that 6 people have been arrested for match fixing in the lower leagues in Italy? Any old acquaintances?
Don’t recognize any of the names (except Signori, of course, whom I watched many times).
At the same time, Moggi and half a dozen ex-referees are about to receive prison sentences.
Every other aspect of Italian society is corrupt, how could “il calcio” not be?
I say that, of course, with great love for Italia.
–Joe
I wonder when I hear that an American is buying Roma whether he’s read your book. Didn’t the Bari deal last year fall apart under shady circumstances? The Roma buyer is from your neck of the woods. I don’t suppose he asked for your advice. (Sorry to digress from the Palinoscopy. It turns out my two favorite diversions are soccer and horse racing. I did throw up a little when FIrst Dude won on the undercard.)