As the curtain closes on 10 or so months of blockbuster Champions League action, it all comes down to this. With the treble on the line, arguably the two most consistent sides in Europe this season, Barcelona and Juventus, will scrap it out for the continental crown when the whistle blows in blows in Berlin.
In many ways, Berlin presents itself as an ideal backdrop for two sides whose background is draped richly in history. Like Berlin, the two sides set to take to the field have experienced eras of unrivalled success juxtaposed with scandals. Saturday’s fixture, though, presents a completely different theme. One of redemption, or as Pique put it, perfection.
As Gerard Pique noted, the Champions League final presents an opportunity for Barcelona to acquit themselves of recent bad publicity which has plagued the club off and on the pitch and to create history by becoming the first club to win their second treble.
Indeed, the final presents an opportunity for the club which, quite simply, could very well not have occurred. Just five months ago, La Blaugrana found themselves on the brink of collapse. The ongoing Neymar transfer scandal in culmination with Lionel Messi’s spat with Luis Enrique threatened to leave the club in disrepute.
While that proved to be the turning point of Barcelona’s season, it’s fair to say that single incident came as a result of accumulated pressure and frustration from the club’s unconvincing start. And Enrique’s rotation policy only left players even more demoralised and disillusioned.
Read the rest of my piece on Football Espana
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