Barcelona Femení - footballing excellence

For purveyors of elegant football, let me recommend watching FC Barcelona Femení.

The ultimate compliment to a team playing at the top of their game was the terrace chant: "It's just like watching Brazil!"

In modern times, it's being compared to Barcelona.

Commentating on the club's women's team this week was just like commentating on the Pep Guardiola era at the Camp Nou.

The club has a style - a DNA. I remember tuning into Barça TV many years ago and witnessing the teenage teams replicating the style of the seniors. The performances of El Femení this season have been close to perfection.

This is a golden generation to match the Messi-Xavi-Iniesta era. Aitana Bonmatí has won the Ballon d'Or for a third season in a row, Vicky López was voted the best young female footballer in the world and Ewa Pajor won the Golden Boot.

"You cannot compare women's football to men's football," I hear the detractors scream. True - they are different games with contrasting requirements, but you must appreciate sporting excellence.

You would watch the Williams sisters at Wimbledon or acknowledge the brilliance of Martina Navratilova. As an amateur golfer, I dream of playing the game like Annika Sörenstam.

This Barcelona team is in that sphere. It is a golden generation that has taken the women's game to a whole new level. The passing is crisp, the speed of play is lightning, the movement choreographed, and the understanding appears telepathic.

This season they have won every single game, scoring four goals or more in all but one of them.

They had kicked off the Champions League campaign by hitting Bayern Munich for seven and followed it up by scoring six at Atlético de Madrid in the league. I saw them rip AS Roma apart; the Italians have a 100% record in Serie A.

Again you could argue that it is too one-sided. Another fair point. But you would tune in to see Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali pulverise an opponent in their heyday.

There is always a fighter's chance - as Arsenal found out when they floored Barça in last season's Champions League final.

Some experts thought the era may be over with that defeat, especially when six senior players left the club for the English WSL last summer.

Like the men's team, this was for financial reasons. Like the men's team they looked to La Masia finishing school for the next generation: López is only 19; Clara Sarajordi is 17; Salma Paralluelo has won every honour by the age of 21.

The goalkeeper Cata Coll was the World Cup winning hero and she has the same DNA as the legendary Víctor Valdés. She is often left with little work, but then has to perform heroics - like all Barcelona goalkeepers when there is a freak breakaway.

Go on: give it a try. If you appreciate good football, you'll love Barcelona Femení. It's just like watching... Barcelona.