Every UEFA Champions League Final Ranked From Worst To Best

Billed as the first showdown of the world’s two best players in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, in that sense the 2009 Champions League final was a disappointment – for CR7 fans, at least.

Manchester United had come into the game at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico hoping to become the first club to successfully defend the trophy.

But although the English side had the better of the opening exchanges, it was Barcelona who took the lead through Samuel Eto’o on 10 minutes.

It was a lead they never looked like relinquishing for the 80 minutes that followed, despite a lot of huff and puff from United and Ronaldo in particular.

For all the attacking guile shown by Sir Alex Ferguson’s team en route to the final, the Red Devils disappointed on the night, struggling to get in behind a makeshift Barca backline featuring Yaya Toure in central defence.

Played in stifling heat, the game was dominated by the peerless Catalan duo Andres Iniesta and Xavi who essentially passed United to death, pulling the Premier League champions this way and that.

Any lingering hopes of a comeback were snuffed out by Messi later on, who silenced any doubts over his ability in the air with a brilliantly taken header.

Pep Guardiola’s first European Cup as Barcelona manager, the team was still a little off its tiki-taka peak at this point.

Ferguson was left to rue United’s failure to make that early pressure count and their surprisingly toothless response to going behind.