We waited 12 years to appear in a European Cup final again and it actually took 14 years to win it the second time in Barca´s history and now it is official:


Oui! are the champions of Europe!


And it is right so! The best team in Europe won. The only team that has not been defeated through the entire Champions League campaign. So, let´s celebrate and call us Champions of Europe for at least 1 year. We finally deserved it.


The Referee Terje Hauge had not his best day, so did not have Lehmann, Henry or Ronaldinho. It´s a waste of time to discuss, if he should have given the goal in the first place. Any Barca fan would have taken it in exchange for the red card and it would have saved us 75 minutes of agony and a few years of ageing. All the hypothethical "could have, should have, would have" is irrelevant.


Fact 1 is: Barca finally scored 2 goals and Arsenal only 1. Winner is, who scores more goals than the other after 90 minutes.


Fact 2 is: Every team starts with 11 players. If a player receives a red card his team is reduced to 10 men. There is no doubt about that the red card was justified and the rules say rightfully that the Arsenal keeper had to go and Arsenal had to finish the match with 10.


The winner takes it all and will be remembered and makes history, the Loser is disappointed and has to try harder next year. therefore we should not put too much weight into what disappointed players say right after the final whistle. In a few days nobody remebers them anyway, but the Cup stays with Barca!


Frank Rijkaard's Barca team has equalled the success of Johan Criff´s Dream team at Wembley in 1992 and hopefully started a new period of national and international success. Most "experts" and football fans around the world did not only have Barca as favourites on the books, no, they actually wanted Barca to win. Barca´s attacking style and total football of "Joga Bonito" is recognised in all the world. Football fans want to see the best attacking football and not the best defence. They want to see spectacular and even acrobatic play not solid defending. Therefore football supporters around the world can identify themselves with Barca and currently brand the Club as the best team in Europe. And now it is even official: We are the kings of European Football!


Paris was in the hands of Barca supporters. You could here them in every corner of this big Metropolitanean. Two hours before kick-off, the Barca corner of the stadium Saint-Denis was almost full while the Arsenal fans were not there. The Barca song was sung around this magnificent stadium Stade de France. The desire of the Culés to win the European Cup and to repeat the success of Wembley of 1992 was massive. When the team came out to warm up they must have been proud of their followers and must have felt a similar desire.


Now the European Cup is ours and we should enjoy it! Let´s all celebrate in the next days and feel proud of what our team achieved.


Visca el Barca! The European Cup winner 2006!