Barcelona v Manchester United 2009

It was a match that had everything – the Champions League Final in 2009 between Barcelona and Manchester United: two of the biggest clubs in the world, playing the best football, facing off in the final; Guardiola v Ferguson; the young pretender v the seasoned veteran; Messi v Ronaldo. It was a mouth-watering prospect.

In the end though, it was a match up that did not live up to its billing – at least not for United fans – as Barcelona dismantled their opponents with a mesmerising display of possession football. It was the day that Guardiola showed the world just how good a coach he had become. A match that secured him and Barcelona a treble in his first season and showed that he had taken the Cruyffian principles he had leant as a player in the 90s and evolved them into a devastating new style of play.

In this episode Marcus Speller and Jonathan Wilson are joined by Miguel Delaney (Chief Football Writer at The Independent) to discuss the 2009 Champions League Final between Barcelona and Manchester United.

This new six-part football series explores how the evolution of today’s beautiful game began at Barcelona 25 years ago with the pioneering ideas of Johan Cruyff and was then taken on by the likes of Louis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.

Essential listening for anyone who loves football – past, present and future!

Over six episodes, Guardian football correspondent Jonathan Wilson and the Football Ramble’s Marcus Speller, along with a panel of experts, take an in depth look at six incredible matches that changed football and helped to define this footballing evolution, from Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.

The series coincides with the release of The Barcelona Legacy – a book written by Jonathan Wilson – out this month in hardback, eBook and audiobook.

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