Manchester United v Barcelona: Wayne Rooney backs Andres Iniesta for Ballon d'Or

28 May 2009 08:29
United's hopes of becoming the first side to successfully defend the trophy since it was rebranded as the Champions League in 1992 were ended by Barca at the Olympic Stadium in devastating fashion, thanks to goals from Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi. The margin of victory could even have been even greater, with Rooney conceding the final 2-0 scoreline did not flatter Barca. "It is a big disappointment but Barcelona were the better team," said Rooney. "Barcelona scored two good goals and unfortunately for us, they came at good times. That made it very difficult for us." United had no answer to the craft of Xavi, the menace of Messi and the speed and strength of Eto'o and Thierry Henry. However, it was Iniesta who ran the show as far as Rooney was concerned. "Barcelona are a brilliant team and in my opinion Andres Iniesta is the best player in the world," he said. "Against a team like that if you don't take your chances, they will punish you. That is what happened. "It is very disappointing and the feeling at the moment is not a good one. We are hurting. But we have to forget it and look forward to next season." However, for the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, defeat has left a bitter taste. "This is one of the biggest disappointments of my career," he said. "We were always confident before the game but unfortunately we couldn't do it."

Source: Telegraph