Thank goodness we’ve Football Club Barcelona and their little genius Lionel Messi. With Sepp Blatter’s Fifa constantly spreading filth from Zurich, football needed something to turn the requiem into a song of celebration.

Luis Enrique’s Catalan orchestra did that. The game owes them a huge debt of gratitude.

Fifa has become the embodiment of all that is wrong with football. Former Fifa official Chuck Blazer has reportedly admitted to taking bribes in exchange of awarding the 1998 World Cup to France and the 2010 World Cup to South Africa. The Swiss authorities, and the FBI, are probing the bribery allegations in the bidding process of the 2018 and 2020 World Cups to be held in Russia and Qatar, respectively. Fifa officials have been accused of creating slush funds and distributing money to member nations in exchange of votes. It has also been reported that Blatter authorised £3.6 million hush money to stop the Irish FA from taking legal recourse after Thierry Henry’s handball was overlooked by referee Martin Hansson during the second-leg play-off between Ireland and France to qualify for the 2010 World Cup finals. Ireland lost the match 2-1 on aggregate and were knocked out.

Under pressure, Blatter has resigned, although he will continue to harm football as caretaker president till he’s dethroned in December. Fifa-gate has shaken the very foundation of the sport. Messi and his teammates gave a timely reminder that it still thrives in beauty.

Barcelona had failed to win a single trophy in 2013-14. Messi looked exhausted. As he walked up the aisle to take the Golden Ball award after the World Cup final at Maracana, curious smiles greeted him. It was a surprise decision. The world’s best footballer looked a shadow of his usual self, both for Barcelona and his country. The challenge this term was to rediscover his form. Messi came up with a terrific response.

It was expected. Great players take failures in their stride and become stronger. Messi worked on his fitness and once again started to move with silken grace, operating from the right. Fifty-seven club appearances and 58 goals later, paradise was regained.

Messi nutmegged Manchester City’s James Milner in the process—it made the English midfielder famous! He mesmerised PSG’s David Luiz. Messi’s dancing feet took the breath away. Barcelona regained their composure and started to show their customary verve. They ended up winning La Liga, Copa del Rey and Champions League. “For the world of football, he’s (Messi) a treasure,” said Johan Cruyff. “Barca play football that the world marvels at,” he added.

Make no mistake; it was never a one-man show. Far from it. Neymar and Luis Suarez beautifully complemented their more celebrated colleague. Barcelona gambled big-time by paying £75 million for Suarez during close season.

The Uruguayan had been serving a four-month biting ban. His season started late, but the way he bounced back spoke volumes of his character.

Even Enrique had his doubts. “When we thought about Luis Suarez and considered him, we knew about his great qualities and figures. But we had our doubts, in that we didn’t know whether he would adapt,” he said after the Champions League final.

“But I think, we can say he’s one of the best players we signed and it was a good decision to trust him. We paid a lot of money for him, but he has shown great hunger to win trophies,” Enrique eulogised.

Suarez left Liverpool because he wanted to win trophies. At Merseyside, even the Premier League title was beyond him, let alone the Champions League. At Camp Nou, with Messi and Neymar by his side, he formed one of the most fearsome attacking tridents in the history of the game. They finished the season with 122 goals between them.

Some credit is due to Enrique as well. Pep Guardiola, too, had won the Treble in his first season—2008-09. But Enrique’s boys played more all-round football. This team has pace upfront. Also, they’re more resolute and always ready with a ‘Plan B’. Barcelona showed their resolve after Juventus equalised in the final. They changed their game and caught the ‘Old Lady’ on the counter. They never looked frustrated when their rivals had the ball.

Enrique also did some smart shopping in the transfer market. Ivan Rakitic turned out to be a super inclusion; one of the most vital cogs in the wheel. The Croatian helped the midfield run smoothly, occasionally making his presence felt in the area like he did in the Champions League final. The great Xavi has decided to leave for Al Saad in Qatar.

Rakitic is ready to fill his boots.

Spare a thought for Juventus as well. Nine years ago, they were relegated to Serie B for their involvement in a match-fixing scandal. Gianluigi Buffon’s class and loyalty, Andrea Pirlo’s mastery, Paul Pogba’s talent and Carlos Tevez’s fighting spirit put them on the road to redemption. Antonio Conte rebuilt the team brick by brick before he left to take charge of the Azzurri last summer. His replacement, Massimiliano Allegri, presided over a very successful season during which Juventus won the domestic double and reached the Champions League final. They played their part very well in Berlin. There was no shame in losing to Barcelona. Together, the two European giants kept the filth at arm’s length and gave the fans enough reason to cheer. Well played.

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