Lionel Messi, Barcelona beat Manchester United 3-1 to win Champions League soccer title

Barcelona, led by Lionel Messi, beat Manchester United 3-1 on Saturday to earn its third Champions League title in six seasons and No. 4 overall.
"Lionel is the best player I've seen and probably the best I'll ever see," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said.
Messi conjured up a 54th-minute solo strike from the edge of the penalty area as the Spanish team took the lead for the second time. The Argentine striker later assisted on David Villa's goal before 87,695 at London's Wembley Stadium.
"They mesmerize you with their passing, and we never did control Messi," United's Alex Ferguson said. "In my time as manager, it's the best team I've faced."
Barcelona's Pedro Rodriguez scored midway through the first half before United's Wayne Rooney tied it in the 34th minute.
Michael Arroyo's goal in the 37th minute helped Ecuador tie Mexico 1-1 before 50,305 at Seattle's Qwest Field. Mexico's Jorge Torres Nilo scored in the seventh minute.
Mohamed bin Hammam withdrew from FIFA's presidential election after being accused of corruption. The Qatari challenger to incumbent Sepp Blatter had been accused of seeking to bribe voters on a campaign visit to the Caribbean. Bin Hammam, Blatter and FIFA vice president Jack Warner will face an ethics hearing Sunday in Geneva. The election was set for Wednesday.

UEFA Champions League Final, 2011: Viktor Kassai Appointed Referee

UEFA announced today that 35-year-old Hungarian referee Viktor Kassai has been selected to referee the 2010-2011 UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Kassai has been a FIFA referee since 2003 and is widely considered to be a world class official.

Kassai was the referee in the 2010 World Cup semifinal game between Spain and Germany, which had about as little referee controversy as any game I can remember from the World Cup. His other career highlight is refereeing the 2008 Olympic gold medal match. Englishman Howard Webb was the referee in last year's Champions League final and the World Cup final, but seeing as Manchester United is an English club, Webb is ineligible to referee this match.

Kassai has called three Manchester United matches in his career, all resulting in wins for United. The most recent one of those was a match against Valencia at the Mestalla in the Champions League group stages, in which Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez scored a stoppage time winner in a 1-0 win over Los Che.

For news, opinion, and feature articles leading up to the UEFA Champions League final, bookmark this StoryStream and check it often. We'll have new posts right here throughout the week, during the game, and after the game. For more on the entire world of footy, check out SB Nation Soccer. Manchester United fans should head over to The Busby Babe, while Barcelona fans should check out Barca Blaugranes.