Barca were deserving winners says Vidic

Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic admitted his side were beaten by the better team as Barcelona ran out 3-1 winners in the Champions League final at Wembley yesterday.

Pedro, Lionel Messi and David Villa grabbed the goals for Barcelona, with Wayne Rooney scoring for the English champions and Vidic praised the performance of the Catalan masters.

“I think if you look at it we have never played a team in the past like Barcelona, they played good football and deserved to win,” he told ITV.

“We tried to press high and in some parts of the game we did well. The goals we lost... we didn’t do what we had to do to close their players down. When they have time on the ball they can make the final pass and that is what they did.”

Barcelona’s Javier Mascherano, deployed as a centre-half due to club captain Carles Puyol’s injury, said: “We are really happy, we beat a fantastic team and played in the way we know to play.

“To win the Champions League, for any footballer, is the top title. For the last two months I have played centre-back, it’s not my natural position but I tried to give my best to the team and I am happy because we won the title.”

The Argentina international, of course, was signed from Man. United’s fierce rivals, Liverpool, and he had a message for the Anfield faithful.

“I know the Liverpool supporters were a little bit sad with me after my exit. So, this is for them as well,” he added.

The victors

9: Real Madrid (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1966, 1998, 2000, 2002).
7: Milan (1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007).
5: Liverpool (1977, 1978, 1981, 1984, 2005).
4: Ajax Amsterdam (1971, 1972, 1973, 1995), Bayern Munich (1974, 1975, 1976, 2001), Barcelona (1992, 2006, 2009, 2011).
3: Inter (1964, 1965, 2010), Manchester United (1968, 1999, 2008).
2: Benfica (1961, 1962), Juventus (1985, 1996), Nottingham Forest (1979, 1980), Porto (1987, 2004).
1: Aston Villa (1982), Borussia Dortmund (1997), Celtic (1967), Feyenoord (1970), Hamburg (1983), Marseille (1993), PSV Eindhoven (1988), Red Star Belgrade (1991), Steaua Bucharest (1986).