Dejected United leave Rome in ruins | Night to remember for Barcelona | Ronaldo and Co lose their way | Debate: Did Ferguson get his tactics wrong? | How Barcelona rated | How United rated | How the action unfolded | Rooney: we lost to best team | Henry reaps reward with new friends | Simon Barnes | Patrick Barclay | Giles Smith | Tony Cascarino | Key moments | Graphic: errors cost United dear

To think that we wasted so much time wondering whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi would emerge as the world’s leading footballer. Wiser judges would have asked whether Xavi Hernández or Andrés Iniesta would be Barcelona’s hero-in-chief.

Although it proved a close call, let’s accept Xavi as man of the match and player of the planet. He is the arch exponent of the midfield arts and a second European title in four seasons — during which time he, Iniesta and Carles Puyol have also become champions of the Continent with Spain — confirms greatness.

Not that we should view this victory in individual terms, or as a sign that English domination of the Champions League is over; how can it be when yet again three semi-finalists came from England? The point is loftier, for at such times you realise that football can be on the side of the angels. Barcelona did it their way, with beautiful passing and only seven fouls.

No hint of disrespect is intended to Manchester United, who have played the most attractive football in England this season — and some of the most breathtaking in Europe — and are not kickers, either, but this was a courageous assertion of the game’s highest values. By not only Xavi and Iniesta but, with glorious unpredictability, Puyol, whose spirit and tactical intelligence at right back prompted a sportsmanlike word from Sir Alex Ferguson at the end.

Although the contest between the managers ended with Ferguson, who won his first European trophy while Pep Guardiola was teething, soundly beaten, the Catalan’s joy was for his inheritance, not his career. Maybe this will refresh some who share his philosophy but maybe sometimes, in their darker hours, question it.

When Arsène Wenger said that Barcelona would struggle to win trophies amid the physical intensity in England, he alluded to the fragility of art in football. Not that Guardiola needed reminding by the Arsenal manager or anyone else: he was playing on the Athens night in 1994 when Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” encountered the ultimate nightmare.

Two years after helping to secure Barcelona’s first European Cup, Guardiola was one of the key players chosen by Fabio Capello for AC Milan’s special attention. Every time he, Ronald Koeman or José María Bakero looked for the ball, they were smothered. In the end Guardiola could only gape, like the rest of us, as Dejan Savicevic lobbed Andoni Zubizarreta from near the touchline, the crowning glory of a 4-0 triumph.

Guardiola will have remembered that during his preparations. From Barcelona’s point of view, it was always going to be another fight for the right to play as they wished, to control the match through the passing of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. By half-time we knew that a depressing chapter in Barcelona’s history was not to be repeated. And when Xavi all but bounced the ball in off Messi’s head a demonstration of pure football’s power was complete.

Yet nerves had near-paralysed Barcelona early on. Ferguson, as against Arsenal in the semi-finals, went for the jugular of a suspect defence. If only his team had been as ruthless. Instead Iniesta spurted through a sluggish midfield and Samuel Eto’o beat Nemanja Vidic, while the Serb’s mind was on other things, before scoring.

When Guardiola’s men eventually settled, the switching of Messi and Eto’o kept United on the back foot. Crucial, though, was Guardiola’s use of Sergio Busquets as an auxiliary centre back; when he slotted in alongside Yaya Touré and Gerard Piqué, the full backs, Puyol and Sylvinho, prepared to push up and maintain numbers in midfield.

It was a favoured Brazilian ploy from Guardiola’s time as a player and he probably would not even mind it being pointed out that Real Madrid won the Champions League with such a system in 2000, when Iván Helguera dropped back to assist Iván Campo and Aitor Karanka.

Ferguson had his chance to counter at the interval and his extra forward played into Guardiola’s hands. Within minutes Edwin van der Sar had done well to deny Thierry Henry and Xavi hit a post with a free kick. Barcelona had won their fight. Without tactical fouling or anything else, just football.