Gladiator Guardiola had his stars in tears before Barca bashed Manchester United and ruled Rome

Published: 29 May 2009 - 17:24:35

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Gladiator Guardiola had his stars in tears before Barca bashed Manchester United and ruled Rome

Pep Guardiola made his Barcelona superstars blub like little babies before they were transformed into Roman Gladiators just minutes before their Champions League showdown with Manchester United. The 38-year-old turned the lights off in the changing room before unveiling a seven minute film showing his players' greatest moments interspersed with clips from Hollywood blockbuster Gladiator. Shown on a giant screen, the film showed each member of the team in a Gladiator-like pose, scoring spectacular goals and displaying the silky skills which have left opponents scratching their heads. The film, which was made by Guardiola and Catalan journalist Santi Padro, was backed by the soundtrack from the Russell Crowe film before the final part had the Barca boys in tears. With the last act of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot Opera at full volume, the following message was emblazoned across the screen while Guardiola stood motionless. 'We are the centre of the pitch, we are precise, we are our effort, we are attackers who defend, we are defenders who attack, we are respected by our rivals, we are recognised by our rivals, we are every goal that we score, we are those who always look for our opponent's goal, WE ARE ONE.' When the lights were switched back on, a number of players were visibly crying before being ushered out of the dressing room. And while Guardiola did not utter another word to his players, both Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi made sure Barca did their talking on the pitch with the goals to sink United 2-0 and lift the Champions League trophy.