There’s all this fuss and excitement made about the Champions League. Players move clubs just to play in it, clubs ransom their fortunes to appear in it, owners want to win it beyond any other prize. Though most can afford all the other prizes currently available to billionaires. And although you can’t buy that esteemed trophy like you can buy yachts, planes, palaces or strings of blondes, many do try.

So in the blue corner there was Roman Abramovich, Russian oligarch, money-launderer and all round person of extremely dubious character who bought an impoverished Chelsea, pumped in a few bil and they did in fact win the Champions League. A shame for old values.

But more have tried and are still failing. The Abu Dhabis bought Manchester City who, rather amusingly, crash and burn in that competition every year.

Another bunch of Emirates have bought Paris St Germain who left the stage last night at the almost eternal graveyard for away team aspirations; the Nou Camp in Barcelona.

Already 3-1 down from the home leg, Lauren Blanc’s Qatari-Parisians had hopes in Catalonia. And hopes, as any Spurs fan will tell you, approximately 39 times a season, will kill ya every time. I watched a little bit of the game before bridge last night, just 15 minutes or so, and it was enough to know everything about Barcelona and the Champions League. Because they virtually define what makes it so brilliant. And it was all about Andres Iniesta. Who is now about 73 years old and has always been the least extravagant of world superstars but probably the most effective for it. He picked up the ball outside his own box, turned and ran. About 70 yards he ran, leaving in his wake half the PSG team swinging their legs at thin air or falling on their asses. Then he threaded the ball to the feet of Neymar. Who ‘did the rest’. Which sounds easy and in fact looked easy, a testament to the troubled Brazilian’s amazing ability. And the legacy of the brand of football inspired by Pep Guardiola.

Whilst over in Bavaria, the other Guardiola team, the current one, were starting against a Porto team who amazingly were 3-1 up from the first leg. And Bayern Munich simply annihilated them in that brutal German way that (much of the same players) beat Brazil 7-2 in the World Cup. Bayern were 5-0 up by half time, 6-1 the final score. You could almost feel sorry for Porto who, unlike most of the quarter-finalists, are not a rich team. Yet you simply had to admire the style and quality of the German team, even without their two most lethal players, Robben and Ribery.

It is often said: ‘you can’t buy class’. Well, in football you can. But it doesn’t always work.

Happy Wednesday

A xxxx