Why Barcelona reign supreme

Barcelona's victory over Manchester United in the Champions League final put them in a select group of teams to have won the treble.

Only four teams had previously achieved the feat, and Barca became the first Spanish side to do it following a remarkable first season under new coach Pep Guardiola.

Here we take a look at five things which have helped make Barcelona great this season.

HOMEGROWN TALENT

In their starting line-up for last night's final, Barca had seven players who learnt their trade in the club's 'cantera' (youth system) and every one of them - Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Victor Valdes and Sergi Busquets - have played major roles this season. Like Manchester United did to great effect in the 1990s, Barca have built their success on homegrown talent rather than big-money imports and that is now starting to bear fruit.

PEP GUARDIOLA

With just the one year of coaching Barcelona's B side on his CV, Guardiola was hardly a risk-free appointment when he was named as Frank Rijkaard's replacement last summer. However, the former club captain has masterminded one of the greatest single seasons in European football history, winning all three major trophies that were available and doing it in a style which has impressed everybody.

LIONEL MESSI

No matter how good a team is as a unit, sometimes it needs that bit of individual genius to turn a game in your favour, and in Messi Barca have probably the best in the business. His goal in last night's 2-0 win in Rome took his tally to 38 for the season in all competitions - comfortably his best campaign since breaking onto the scene in 2004 - and he is now surely favourite to win both the FIFA World Player of the Year crown and Ballon d'Or this season. And the truly scary thing for opponents is that does not even turn 22 until next month.

INJURIES

When Barca were going two years without winning a major honour from 2006 to 2008, their plans were badly affected by long-term injuries to key players such as Samuel Eto'o, Messi and Ronaldinho. However, this term they have managed to keep most of their squad fit and healthy for the majority of the season, and aside from centre-back Gabriel Milito who has not featured at all, their only major injury headaches have come towards the end of campaign.

NEVER-SAY-DIE ATTITUDE

Barcelona teams down the years have rarely been short on skill and brilliance, but Guardiola has dovetailed those attributes with a remarkable work ethic and the results are there for all to see. There is also a steely determination about Guardiola's side and an unwillingness to concede defeat, epitomised by Iniesta's last-gasp equaliser in the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea and their crucial late fightback against Valencia in La Liga.