More to come, says Messi

Lionel Messi has warned that Barcelona are not ready to rest on their laurels, predicting more success to follow their Champions League win.

Barcelona completed a domestic and Europe double by defeating Manchester United 3-1 in the final at Wembley on Saturday, clinching their second Champions League title in three years.

Messi, widely regarded as the world’s best footballer, was a deserved man of the match in the showpiece game after an extraordinary effort in the 54th minute put the Catalan giants ahead for good.

And the 23-year-old predicted the world has not seen the last of Barcelona, saying his team-mates are hungry to add to their three La Liga titles, two European Cups and one Copa del Rey under manager Pep Guardiola.

“We want to keep winning things,” Messi told Europa Press.

“This is a game to remember. What this team does is tremendous and we are still not conscious of what we are achieving.”

“Now we’ll see how we celebrate it. This is a team of winners, we all know that, and we have to think solely about the celebrations on Sunday (at Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium). Then we’ll think about next season.”

The victory was perhaps sweetest of all for Barca defender Eric Abidal, who just two months ago was in a hospital bed after being diagnosed with a cancerous tumour in his liver.

The France international was reduced to tears by his team-mates after being allowed to lift the trophy aloft instead of team captain Xavi and club captain Carles Puyol.

He had earlier been handed the captain’s armband by the injured Puyol, who was given a chance to soak up the atmosphere in the last few moments of the match by Guardiola.

“It was such a special thing for Xavi and Carles and Pep to do,” Abidal said.

“It made me full of emotion to think about it and everything I have been through and I could not hold (the tears) in.”

“This kind of thing is why this is such a special club. We are like a family and everyone treats each other with love and respect.”

David Villa, who put the game beyond United with a goal on 70 minutes, dedicated his match-clinching strike to his family and that of Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina.

“We are very happy having achieved all of this,” Villa told TVE. “I dedicate my goal to all my family, my daughters and also Pepe Reina’s, who are like my nieces.”

“It is the reward for all work and we are very happy to have achieved this in a stadium so important.”

“If you know us, you know that we never relax. We have ambition, we have potential and we are very hungry for titles. We could not waste this opportunity.”