On June 6th, Barcelona and Juventus will take to the pitch in this season's Champions League final. Whilst the Blaugrana's arrival at this stage is of little surprise to most, the success of the Bianconeri, who were regarded as the tournament's dark horses, has been this edition's most-talked about story. It will be a special clash in Berlin as both Luis Enrique and Massimiliano Allegri, in their debut seasons with their respective clubs, have the potential to clinch an impressive treble - which, in the case of la Vecchia Signora, will be their first and only the second in Serie A history.
Despite this only being the third meeting between the Spanish and Italian champions, this tie is rich in interesting back-stories and connections. For starters, both Xavi and Gianluigi Buffon, regarded as icons for club and country were both on the pitch during the quarter-final stage of the 2002/2003 Champions League, with the midfield wizard pushing the game to extra-time after scoring past the legendary goalkeeper in the second half.
Unfortunately for both Barca and Juve fans, neither team would lift the trophy as AC Milan would find a way past the Bianconeri in an all-Italian final to win their se UCL title a bit over a month later.
Xavi and Buffon are the only two remaining players from the April 2003 quarter-final clash between Barca and Juve
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Barcelona vs Juventus? Or more like Spain vs. Italy part two?
A lot has changed in those dozen years since, but a closer look at these two highly esteemed teams shows that the connection is even more recent. About three years ago, Spain, riding high after winning the World Cup in 2010 met Italy at the final stage of the EURO 2012 tournament. Although the Italians had won the World Cup just four years before the Spaniards, a poor performance at the South African edition had many questioning their ability to re-group and make it through to the latter stages. Yet, like Juve, they surprised many to get past the likes of Germany and secure their spot in Warsaw.
As la Furia Roja cruised to a comfortable 4-0 win over the Azzurri, the starting XIs of each squad showed a heavy imbalance in favour of certain teams. It was not too long ago that former Manchester United star Eric Cantona stirred up controversy by remarking that "Catalonia won the World Cup [because] Spain won it with ten Barcelona players in the team."
Despite the outcry the Frenchman's statements, there is some truth to this, and a look at Spain's EURO 2012 squad shows quite a few players who play their club football for Barcelona.
The Blaugrana connection: Over half of the players in this photo were also featuring for the Catalan giants during the EURO tournament three years ago
In the final, there were a total of six players who were on Barcelona's payroll. Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, and Pedro will all have a chance to feature against Juventus in Berlin next month. And if one counts Cesc Fabregas - now a Premier League title winner with Chelsea - that number rises to seven.
Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi all featured in the EURO 2012 final against Italy and will likely be on the pitch against familiar Italian opponents in Berlin at next month's UCL final
If Barcelona are as much Spain as Spain is Barcelona, the same can be definitely said about Juventus widely renowned for their italianità or "Italianness" due to their consistently enjoying a large number of natives in their set-up and providing players to the national team. In fact, no other team in Italy has contributed as many players to the Azzurri, and are the only club to have provided players to every single squad since the second World Cup.
And not surprisingly, the final between Spain and Italy three years ago was no different, with six out of the 11 players in the starting line-up were playing for the Scudetto champions who were then coached by Antonio Conte.
Juventus and the Italian connection: The Bianconeri have long enjoyed a strong presence in the Azzurri set-up for many generations
Unlike Barcelona, all of those players - Buffon, Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Pirlo, and Claudio Marchisio - who featured on that hot July day in Poland's capital are not just very much still with the club under Allegri, but will also, barring injury, be part of the team's starting XI this June.
Buffon, Pirlo, Chiellini, and their national team colleagues Barzagli, Bonucci and Marchisio will all remember that disappointing loss against Spain and are seeking to make it right against Barcelona
So, will this game be Barcelona versus Juventus or a modified version of the EURO 2012 final? For the vast majority of fans, it's simply the Blaugrana taking on the Bianconeri. However, for a dozen players, it's both, with six having a personal score to settle from nearly three years ago, whilst the other half are eagerly anticipating a rematch with some familiar opponents.
Three years ago, Spain triumphed over Italy in one capital city. Hence, it will be truly interesting to see if Berlin, the site of Italy's last European victory, will prove to be again the place where the country's "most Italian" team are crowned champions.
One thing is certain: when that kick-off whistle blows on June 6th, la Furia Roja and gli Azzurri will again be featuring in what will be an entertaining final from the famous Champions League anthem to lifting the continent's most coveted club trophy.
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