Translated material
See Paris and win
Arsenal and Barcelona on the eve of the Champions League final
The main match of the Champions League will take place on Wednesday at the Stade de France in Paris. The Spanish “Barcelona” and the English “Arsenal” will meet in the final. And although both clubs are recognized authorities in European football, they have only one Champions Cup between them. In 1992, thanks to the cannon strike of Ronald Koeman, Barça won the “Eared Vase”, as the European Champions Cup is also called in the football world, for the first and last time. Arsenal's victories in European competition still remain the dreams of Arsene Wenger and the fans of the London club.It is symbolic that the venue for the current final is Paris, the city to which the tournament owes its birth. In 1955, on the initiative of the French journalist Gabriel Hanot, a competition was established to identify the strongest club in the Old World. The first final, which ended with Real's victory over Reims, took place in Paris, the hometown of the founding father. And now, after 50 years, the French capital again welcomes two applicants.
“It’s very great that the final will be held in Paris. I am sure that the majority of Parisians will support us,” said the French coach of the Gunners, Arsene Wenger, not so long ago, citing the fact that there are many Frenchmen in his team. And although Wenger himself is German by nationality, Arsenal's best sniper Thierry Henry and young Gael Clichy are from distant Martinique, and the experienced Robert Pires is of Portuguese origin, they will be rooted for in the same way as for the native of Provence, Mathieu Flamini. However, the hero of the semi-final, the French midfielder of Barcelona, Ludovic Giuly, can also count on the support of his compatriots.
Barcelona will come to Paris as the new champions of Spain. The Blue Garnets confirmed their credentials ahead of schedule and calmly prepared for the decisive match. Moreover, the path to the Stade de France for Barça was not covered with roses. The Catalans had to get out of the way the powerful Chelsea, the dangerous Benfica, and Milan, which did not need additional recommendations. Victory in the Champions League will confirm the coaching genius of the Dutchman Frank Rijkaard. However, there is no longer any doubt that Black Swan is an extraordinary coach. Two championship titles in Spain are more than solid. But a few years ago, angry fans of Sparta Rotterdam threw women’s underwear at Rijkaard.
For Arsene Wenger, winning the Champions League is generally a matter of life. European trophies have always slipped through the hands of the French coach, and now is the time to put an end to this tradition. For the sake of the Champions League, the Gunners had to sacrifice a lot of domestic competitions. In the recently concluded English Championship, Arsenal managed to grab fourth place only in the last round. As the season progressed, the Londoners were plagued by injuries, and Wenger repeatedly had to rebuild the defense. But the experienced coach still managed to bring Arsenal to the final. By the way, the “gunners” in this draw acquired the status of a thunderstorm for Spanish clubs. They eliminated Real and Villarreal from their path. Barcelona next?
Arsenal - Barcelona is also a confrontation between the two strongest football players on the planet, Ronaldinho and Thierry Henry. In Paris, they will have the opportunity to determine in a face-to-face debate who is the best. The most impenetrable goalkeeper in the history of the tournament, Jens Lehmann, whose dry streak is 744 minutes, is looking forward to the final. In the playoff matches, no one could score against the 37-year-old German - neither Real, nor Juventus, nor Villarreal. Will Ronaldinho, Eto'o and their partners succeed?
Among the participants in the match there will be another footballer for whom the meeting will be more than special. Several years ago, Barcelona considered Francesc Fabregas not the most talented and quite easily let their own pupil go to Arsenal. In London, the young Catalan showed his best side and is now full of desire to prove to the Barcelona people how short-sighted they were.