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| Lionel Messi |
The Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has warned that Pep Guardiola's team are hungrier than ever after confirming their place among history's greatest sides at Wembley on Saturday night. The Catalans 3-1 win over Manchester United earned Guardiola his second Champions League trophy as a manager and his 10th trophy in his first three years as a coach.
Messi, who scored Barça's second with an excellent strike in the second half, has now won the European Cup three times. But the Argentinian, 23, wants to win more. "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."
But 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."
The win means Barça are now one ahead of United in terms of Champions League titles and one behind Liverpool, who have five, though they remain five off the record-holders Real Madrid.
"We're pleased with the win because of how we did it, against Manchester United, one of the greats," Guardiola said. "We have produced something extraordinary, though, and we have four European Cups now, joining Ajax and Bayern Munich."
Guardiola highlighted the progress made since 2009, when he led Barça to an unprecedented treble in his first season in charge. "We played much better than two years ago in Rome [when they beat United 2–0]," he said, "and against a superb team that have also improved."
The Barça forward Ibrahim Afellay, who came on as a substitute at Wembley, is keen for his manager to stay. The Dutch player, who joined from PSV Eindhoven in January and is now a European champion, said: "He [Guardiola] signed a new contract [in February] so we think he is going to stay. We hope he stays because he is the best coach in the world. He was part of the reason I joined. If a coach like that tells you he wants you then you come. But with a club like Barcelona, you don't have to think for one second."
Messi, who scored Barça's second with an excellent strike in the second half, has now won the European Cup three times. But the Argentinian, 23, wants to win more. "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."
But 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."
The win means Barça are now one ahead of United in terms of Champions League titles and one behind Liverpool, who have five, though they remain five off the record-holders Real Madrid.
"We're pleased with the win because of how we did it, against Manchester United, one of the greats," Guardiola said. "We have produced something extraordinary, though, and we have four European Cups now, joining Ajax and Bayern Munich."
Guardiola highlighted the progress made since 2009, when he led Barça to an unprecedented treble in his first season in charge. "We played much better than two years ago in Rome [when they beat United 2–0]," he said, "and against a superb team that have also improved."
The Barça forward Ibrahim Afellay, who came on as a substitute at Wembley, is keen for his manager to stay. The Dutch player, who joined from PSV Eindhoven in January and is now a European champion, said: "He [Guardiola] signed a new contract [in February] so we think he is going to stay. We hope he stays because he is the best coach in the world. He was part of the reason I joined. If a coach like that tells you he wants you then you come. But with a club like Barcelona, you don't have to think for one second."
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