If the showdown between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in Rome was genuine and credible to determine who is the best player in the world, then the Argentine has won by a mile.

The media hype gravitated towards the pair as the fulcrums of the Barcelona and Manchester United attacks, respectively. Long heralded as the finest in the world by Fifa and France Football magazine, it was Messi that ended on the winning side with his flair and efficiency, whereas United supporters and Alex Ferguson could have something at the back of their minds when it came to their own Portuguese star.
 
It would be a far stretch to claim that Ronaldo ought to be burdened with the bulk of the responsibility, but the fact remains that on too many occasions during the match, he was rather selfish, opted to play alone, and seemed reluctant to cooperate with the players around him. Teammate Wayne Rooney was frothing, and deservedly so.
 
Messi buried United’s aspirations of becoming the first team to successfully defend their Champions League crown. Small in stature but massive in heart, the Argentine was targeted by a sublime cross from Xavi and he towered above the physically-imposing Rio Ferdinand to send a stunning header beyond Edwin van der Sar and into the far corner of the net to kill off the match.

Meanwhile, Ronaldo's game will be remembered, apart from his selfish performance, mainly for the booking he received for a harsh tackle on Carles Puyol.
 
The Red Devils started lively, with a touch of arrogance, almost as if they were supposed to retain the trophy. In the smouldering heat of the Eternal City, however, after the initial 10-minute surge, it seemed like United ran out of steam and suddenly the cogs stopped turning. The opening goal from Samuel Eto’o put Barcelona ahead on the scoreboard, but more importantly, put them in the driving seat of the match, which they maintained relentlessly until the end.
 
It ensured that United tasted defeat in a European Cup final for the first time as they had won their previous three finals in 1968, 1999 and 2008.
 
Barcelona’s imperious stride, devastating rhythm and mesmerising passing game continued after the break, and any instructions Ferguson could have given to his team in the dressing room at half time, soon flew out the window. Thierry Henry was terrorising Rio Ferdinand, beating him twice, with Van der Sar alone left to thwart his efforts.
 
The Catalan surge nearly yielded results when Xavi nearly doubled Barcelona's lead with a free-kick given after Nemanja Vidic's foul on Messi.
 
Ferguson put Carlos Tevez, possibly making his last appearance for the club, on for the ineffective Anderson at half-time, and then replaced Ji-sung Park with Dimitar Berbatov.
 
Neither the Bulgarian nor the Argentinean offered anything substantial, however, as United went in search for an equaliser. The harshest part is that just when United were slowly starting to break Barcelona's spell to slowly claw themselves back in the match, the Catalans delivered their crushing strike, with Messi heading in the second past United's Dutch keeper.  
 
Paul Scholes, the match-winner against Barcelona in last season's semi-final at Old Trafford, was also inserted in the proceedings, but he failed to make an impact, except to clatter the legs of Barcelona's midfielder Busquets.
 
The defeat ended a 25-match undefeated streak for United in Europe and put paid to Alex Ferguson's hopes to become just the second manager to win the European Cup three times.

"We started the game well, and we could have been in front," Ferguson told ITV Sport after the match. "The [Eto'o] goal was a killer for us. It’s hard getting the ball back off them, because they use it so well. They were the better team on the night."
 
"Now we have to come back stronger. That’s what we do at this club. We have to accept it, we’ve been beaten by the better team. Next season, we’ll be stronger."