Champions League final: Fiery Ferguson vs. cool Guardiola

ROME — When Pep Guardiola won his first European Cup playing for Barcelona, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was about to launch a dynasty that has claimed 11 Premier League crowns in 17 years.

Guardiola was a 21-year-old midfielder collecting his winners medal at Wembley in May 1992 at about the time that Ferguson had lost out to Leeds United in the season before the Premier League took over and reshaped English soccer.

Their paths barely crossed as Guardiola, the former ball boy at Camp Nou, became a respected and influential Barca midfielder and Ferguson, the grouchy Scot from the shipyards of Glasgow, masterminded United's domination of domestic soccer in England, gathering league titles from 1993 to the present day.

In 23 years at Old Trafford, Ferguson, now 67 but with his hunger for success apparently undiminished, has so far collected 25 trophies. Guardiola, in his first season in charge of Barcelona at age 38, has two, the Spanish league and cup, and now they go head-to-head on Wednesday for the biggest title in European club soccer when Manchester United meets Barcelona in the Champions League final.

"People have said that there is a big difference between the experience of Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola," said Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho. "Experience? What is that? For me, if you are good, you are good at 35 and you are good at 65.

"Sir Alex is in his third Champions League final and Pep in his first as a manager. But, when you are at the very top, you feel very comfortable in these moments."

Ferguson has guided United through the days of Bryan Robson, Mark Hughes, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, David Beckham, Ruud van Nistelrooy to the current crop of stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney with long-standing stars Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville in the team for more than a decade.

Guardiola has Barcelona running through his veins having joined the club's playing staff as a 13-year-old through the youth academy and has been with Barca for all but a few years of his career when he moved to Italian soccer. Returning as a coach, he guided the 'B' team to promotion and he was given the top job a year ago as the owners recognized his qualities — enthusiasm, dedication, humility and a methodical way of working.

The previous manager, Frank Rijkaard, appeared to lose control of the players despite guiding the team to its Champions League triumph in 2006 and Barca looked on as Real Madrid won back-to-back league titles.