Munich lay down a marker

Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Dortmund 1

During that spell of 36 years there have been 11 teams from England who have lifted the famous big-eared trophy, eight from Italy and seven from Spain; but if there was any doubt that German football is now leading the way after years of being European bridesmaids than it has certainly been wiped away by Bayern’s remarkable season and by a wonderful Champions League final that was a joy to watch from start to finish.

Dortmund, a hard-working team built on a shoestring in Premier League terms, were as vibrant as their noisy fans for the first 45 minutes and would have been ahead had it not been for goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s stunning saves from the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Jakob Blaszczykowski.

But once Mario Mandzukic, set up by the effervescent Arjen Robben, put his team ahead on the hour the quality of the German champions, whose brand of attacking, athletic and technically-stunning football is akin to Barcelona on Red Bull, always looked like making up for their shock defeat against Chelsea last season.

Even when Dante plunged his foot into Marco Reus’ midriff to give away a penalty, coolly converted by the impressive Dortmund midfielder Gundogan, there was an air of confidence about Bayern that suggested they knew they would lift the trophy — which they did when man of the match Robben twisted past two defenders to score with an acute flick of his left foot in the 89th minute. The bottom line is that Jupp Heynckes’ side can now complete a Treble of Bundesliga, Champions League and Dfb Cup titles if they beat Stuttgart in their version of the FA Cup on Saturday; but what will worry the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea is that in terms of setting the tone for the future that tells only a tiny part of the story.

Bayern’s performances on the field have been remarkable — they disposed of Juventus and Barcelona in the quarter and semi-finals of the Champions League without conceding a goal — but their performance off it is even more significant.

The club is financially stable, has a huge and growing fan base and is now in a position to be a serious player in the transfer market too.

Bayern have already added Dortmund’s Mario Gotze — the most wanted midfielder in world football — to their ranks for next season despite huge competition from United, City and Real Madrid. And Heynckes also indicated on Saturday that Dortmund’s prolific striker Lewandowski is likely to follow the same path.

Then of course there is the biggest coup of all — the capture of new manager Pep Guardiola who will sprinkle his own magic over a team that is already the most vibrant in Europe and one that seems destined to follow in the footsteps of Barcelona by creating their own era of domination.

“I know what people are saying, but it’s up to other teams to worry about that,” insisted Robben.

“At the minute I don’t want to speak about the future; I want to speak about what we achieved this season because we wrote history. The way we have won this competition, especially scoring 11 goals and not conceding one against Juventus and Barca, that’s just incredible.

“People wondered why I went to Germany when I left Real and didn’t go back to England but I think you can see now the German league is very strong. it’s not a co-incidence there were two German teams in the Champions League.”

Robben himself has rarely been out of the gossip pages since arriving in Munich — with constant stories linking him to other clubs; but it’s a sign of Bayern’s growing influence in the transfer market that not only are they able to challenge United, City, Chelsea, Real and Barca for the most talented players but are also able to persuade their own stars to stay.

“I’m really proud to be part of this team,” insisted Robben. “I have two years left on my contract and I’m very happy at this club and always have been. It’s easy to be happy when you are at a big club and winning trophies.”

Bayern’s victory means they will start next season — and a new adventure — with a Uefa Super Cup clash against Europa League winners Chelsea, a tie that former Stamford Bridge winger Robben is already relishing.

“That’s one I’m looking forward to,” he said. “I have already had text messages from JT and Lamps. There is so much ahead now. It is a good time for Bayern Munich and I think this team is only going to get better.”

Maybe the newly-retired Alex Ferguson, who was at Wembley to hand Robben his man of the match award, knew what was coming...

BAYERN MUNICH (4-2-3-1): Neuer (7); Alaba (6) Dante (6) Boateng (6) Lahm (7); Schweinsteiger (7) Javi Martinez (7); Ribery (7; 90) Muller (7) Robben (9); Mandzukic (7; 90).

Subs: Dias (90), Gomez (90).

BORUSSIA DORTMUND (4-2-4-1): Weidenfeller (8); Piszczek (6) Subotic (7) Hummels (8) Schmelzer (6); Bender (7; 90) Gundogan (8); Blaszczykowski (7; 90) Reus (7) Grosskreutz (6); Lewandowski (7).

Subs: Shieber (90), Sahin (90).