Witnessing greatness

LONDON - Lionel Messi refused to take the credit for Barcelona's 3-1 Champions League final win against Manchester United even though the Argentine maestro stole the show at Wembley with a sublime display that cemented his status as the best player of his generation.

The 23-year-old who was named man of the match, had a hand in David Villa's goal that sealed the win as Barca celebrated their fourth European Cup.

But the humble forward was keen to share the praise with his teammates.

"To be the man of the match is the least important thing, because it was incredible how we played. We were very good in all areas," he said.

"We're very happy to lift another trophy. It was a difficult season but we showed who we are. We were the better team." After contemplating his own role in Barca's triumph, Messi set his sights on enjoying more memorable nights in Europe.

Barca will go down as one of the greatest club teams of all time and Messi believes they are capable of dominating the Champions League for years to come.

It is a daunting thought for their rivals as the Catalans have already won three European Cups in the last six seasons.

Messi said: "This team is incredible. 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.

"We were superior to United and deserved the win. It is another cup for us and I managed to score a goal again. Now we're going on holiday - after taking the cup home, then we will start thinking about what we can achieve next season."

Messi's goal equalled Ruud van Nistelrooy's Champions League season record and teammate Xavi added: "He is the number one, he makes the difference - he is just the best player in the world."