Three players bade farewell to their clubs last night and there is no question who will take the happiest memories. While the Villarreal-bound Robert Pires walked off dejectedly in the 18th minute and Dennis Bergkamp never got off the bench before his retirement, this will live long in the mind of Henrik Larsson.
Larsson has chosen to quit Barcelona to return home to Sweden with Helsingborgs and could not have dreamt of a finer departure. Brought on in the 61st minute as his team sought a way back into a game that appeared to be heading for a heroic Arsenal victory, he set up both goals as Barça snatched the trophy.
The 34-year-old may not possess the pace of old but he had the intelligence that Barcelona required to make sure frantic efforts to capture a second European Cup would come to fruition. It was his flick that allowed the dangerous Samuel Eto'o to clip an equaliser past Manuel Almunia and then his clever reserve pass to Juliano Belletti that brought such a cruel end for Arsenal as the full-back scored the winner.
As Arsenal saw Ronaldinho's best efforts come to nothing, with shots fizzing off target and one sliced wide that brought a wry smile from the Brazilian, they may have imagined the greatest danger had been dealt with. Hard as Barcelona pressed and much as they dominated possession, there was no sense that a goal was inevitable. Larsson's influence and, as Arsenal argued fiercely, a failure to spot offside, helped to change that.
Some doubt the Swede's standing because so many of his goals were scored for Celtic but by playing a role in Barcelona's title and European Cup successes this season, he has proved his worth even to the last remaining sceptics. Ten league goals have helped the club to a second straight domestic championship, particularly as he filled in for the injured Ludovic Giuly in a wide position that he had adapted to without fuss.
He will get another chance to remind the public of his talent at the World Cup this summer, and England will know to be every bit as wary of him as the often more trumpeted Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has had a disappointing campaign at Juventus. If the goals no longer flow as freely for Larsson and the starts are fewer, the cleverness of mind, runs and touch have certainly not left him.
He must have feared as he watched from the bench that a European trophy would elude him. In the 2003 Uefa Cup against Porto he had almost single-handedly given Celtic a chance of winning another excellent final, scoring both their goals in a phenomenal individual performance, but the Portuguese team would win 3-2 in Seville to dash those hopes.
Having battled back from last season's cruciate ligament problems, Larsson will head to Helsingborgs, where he played earlier in his career, with the broadest of grins. His contribution and that of Belletti ultimately justified the aggressive substitutions that Frank Rijkaard made as he sought to break down a stubborn and quick-breaking Arsenal team.
The Barcelona coach emptied his team of his most defensive midfielders, taking off Edmilson and then Mark van Bommel, in his quest for a breakthrough and might have paid a heavy price had Arsenal taken their chances on the counter-attack but he finished in a clutch of celebrating bodies. By the finish Rijkaard had Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Larsson and Giuly at the front and in the end Arsenal gave way. How Pires and Bergkamp would have wished to share the emotions that Larsson will feel as he walks out of the door of his club. Pires had been selected ahead of José Antonio Reyes here but his night ended in the gravest disappointment. His body language made clear his dismay at being replaced when Arsenal went down to 10 men and then even the thrill of finishing with the most coveted of club medals was denied him.
For Bergkamp, too, there was no dream finale. He was never likely to start but he will have hoped for a winners' medal and few minutes in which to say goodbye. If chances had been taken on the break to put Arsenal two goals ahead perhaps he would have been brought on to help them through the last stages. The contribution from Larsson was reminiscent of what the Dutchman can do. There could be a further break-up of this Arsenal team, with the futures of Henry and Ashley Cole being closely watched. None of those who leave will do so with Larsson's smile.