Only one winner, but a perfect end guaranteed

Two picture-book careers, but only one perfect ending on offer. Which midfield genius gets to sign off by cradling football’s most precious lump of silver in the early hours of tomorrow morning — Xavi Hernandez or Andrea Pirlo?

It is impossible to choose between the two World Cup winners.

No one I have seen in my lifetime has controlled matches with quite the same rhythmical poise as Barcelona’s playmaker.

Chasing around, trying to get the ball off of him, is a torturous experience for opponents, but for the rest of us, Hernandez has always been luxurious to watch.

He is only a bit-part player now, but 10 weeks on from the announcement — he is heading for a swansong in Qatar — the 35-year-old’s long goodbye has been emotional, with the player himself frequently becoming tearful.

You would need a heart of stone not to feel pleased for him if the maestro’s final act was to lift the Champions League trophy aloft. Having graciously passed up his right at Wembley in 2011 (allowing cancer survivor Eric Abidal the chance to collect it instead), Hernandez deserves a poetic ending.

Juventus’ answer to Hernandez is the perennially cool Pirlo.

Deluged with lucrative offers from the Middle East and the United States, the 36-year-old is the most erudite footballer you could ever find. Pulling, prompting and masterminding every side he has ever represented, the Italian has always been class personified with the ball at his enchanting feet.

He is one of life’s winners too. Since joining Juventus in 2011 they have not once failed to land the Scudetto, and for three years in a row between 2012 and 2014 the veteran orchestrator-in-chief was named Serie A’s best player. Age has, in many ways, enhanced his handsome features.

Nine years on from winning the World Cup at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the symmetry is set for a perfect Pirlo send-off.

While putting these two evergreen masters at the top of the bill is fitting, the act of winning the prize itself may not rely too heavily on what they do in Berlin.

Tactically speaking, there is intrigue wherever you look. In base terms, it is the unstoppable force (Barcelona’s attack) against the immovable object (Juventus’ renowned defence), but that is only one of several storylines I am eager to see unfold.

Can Carlos Tevez outfox his old friend, fellow Argentinian and former West Ham United team-mate Javier Mascherano? There is nothing one does not know about the other.

And how will The Old Lady’s hard-nosed back four cope with the attacking trident of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in the absence of Giorgio Chiellini, the wily rock that holds them together? To triumph, you suspect 37-year-old Gianluigi Buffon must produce the game of his life to thwart the tantalising trio.

The Champions League final is always special and this match-up bears all the hallmarks of a potential classic. Barcelona v Juventus screams glamour and charm.

And whatever happens, we know Hernandez or Pirlo will walk away with a romantic, happy ending. A perfect end to the season is all but guaranteed.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Adrian Clarke, TODAY’s EPL analyst, is a former Arsenal midfielder who has played at every level of English football. Now an experienced sports journalist, he writes for many publications around the world.

Champions League final: Barcelona v Juventus — Singtel TV Ch 111, 2am on Sunday.