Laporta: "We didn't imagine this success in so few years"

Speaking immediately after Barca's victory in the Champions League final against Arsenal (2-1), Joan Laporta admitted that he had never imagined this would happen in only his third year in charge of the Club.

An ecstatic president of FC Barcelona confessed: "The day we arrived at the Club we realised that a profound change was needed and we've been working for that. But we never thought that this success would arrive in so few years". He described Wednesday's night win as "historic" and insisted that there is more to come: "We need to keep on working to maintain this level and win the league and the Champions League again".

A victory dedicated to the entire Barca family

Visibly emotional after celebrating the win with the players in the dressing room, the Barca president told reporters he wanted to dedicate the title to the fans: "To all the Barca members and fans, both those who made the trip to Paris and those who stayed at home". He went on to thank "the players, the coaching staff, the directors, employees, all the Barca fans, Catalonia and the entire world”. He added: "We need to think about those people who believed in this project".

Good behaviour and sportsmanship

Joan Laporta admitted that he had suffered a great deal while the scoreboard had been against Barca but revealed: "When you have to work hard to achieve something, you value it even more". He went on to call on everyone to celebrate the title on Thursday and called on the fans to make sure it would be a festival of "good behaviour and sportsmanship".