Gerard Pique believes Barcelona have now set a new level of football for Manchester United to try to reach.
The former United defender, who returned to Camp Nou last summer after failing to establish himself in England, was part of Barca’s convincing Champions League victory on Wednesday night.
And while Pique says he feels sympathy for his ex-team-mates, he feels that they need to improve their game if they are to conquer Europe again.
“We have set a new level in European football now that United and the other teams must try to reach,” he said in The Sun.
“They have been really good for the last two years, but we’ve raised the bar now.
“United didn’t really cause us too many problems. They tried to play their game but found it impossible as we were playing our game so well.
“We kept them very quiet.
“I was sad to see the faces of the United players because I have some good friends there, but you cannot be at the top all the time.
“Sometimes there comes along a team who can beat you – and this was our moment.”
Barca boss Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, says he wants his players to dominate the Champions League for years to come after outplaying ‘the best team in the world’.
“Just as important as winning it is the way we do it,” he said in the Daily Star.
“It gave me so much pleasure to beat Manchester United this way. They are the best team in the world and we outplayed them.
“One thing I can guarantee we will be back and I want to dominate this competition. You have seen that we are capable.”
He added: “We are a horrible team when we don’t have the ball and when we have it we are not cowards.
“This is the greatest season in Barcelona’s history and we have achieved something special. It must be only the start.
“This club now must never go backwards.”