Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

The debate is over now. Barcelona is on the list of soccer’s all-time greatest teams.

Led by another dominant performance from Lionel Messi, the Catalan club beat Manchester United 3-1 on Saturday to earn its third Champions League title in six seasons and No. 4 overall.

“I feel privileged,” Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said. “You always want to win, but the way we have won is what I am most proud of. This is the way we want to play football.

“Lionel is the best player I have seen and probably the best I will ever see.”

Messi put Barcelona ahead to stay with his 53rd goal and helped create another score to give the Spanish league champion some breathing room.

Barcelona dominated play at Wembley Stadium with its trademark one-touch passing, but it needed the Argentine striker to conjure a 54th-minute solo strike from the edge of the penalty area to take the lead for the second time.

There seemed to be no space as Messi was tracked by fullback Patrice Evra. But the two-time world player of the year spotted a gap between the central defenders and hit a shot down the middle, beating goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar.

Messi added a fake and run that led to David Villa taking possession on the edge of the area. From there, the Spain striker curled a shot into the top corner of the net.

“They do mesmerize you with their passing and we never really did control Messi,” United manager Alex Ferguson said. “But many people have said that.

-AP