BARCELONA, Spain (CNN) – For many fans here in Barcelona, the celebration started after the first goal, by Samuel Eto’o, in the Champions League final against Manchester United. Others, older and having seen more disappointments from their beloved Barcelona over the years, were more cautious. They didn’t become jubilant until Messi scored the second goal in the second half.

Barcelona fans celebrate in the streets of the Spanish city.

By that time, from our position with the thousands of Barca fans watching the game on a big screen in the old port area, it was sheer pandemonium – a field of red and blue Barcelona stripes, sparklers and fireworks, thousands of well lubricated (it wasn’t the local coffee, I don’t think) fans singing the Barca hymn.

Doing one liveshot after another for CNN, I could barely hear the questions from colleagues in the studios. But we were able to transmit the sheer joy of the historic moment – Barcelona getting its third trophy this year - the Spanish league and the Spanish King’s Cup and finally the sweetest of all, the Champions League.

And all of it for a first-year coach, Josep “Pep” Guardiola, just 38, a former Barca player whom one leading Barcelona newspaper on Thursday said was “touching heaven.”

After the game we headed toward the central Plaza de Catalunya, along with almost every other man, woman, child and house pet in town. Others came in from across the region of Catalunya, some six million people in northeast Spain who consider this team part of their identity.

They celebrated on foot and in cars. And on top of cars and hanging out of cars, and on top of fountains, and waving banners and singing the Barca hymn.

Until about 3 am local time, it looked like the happy cops weren’t even trying. Although over the course of the night, we learned there were more than 100 arrests for various disturbances and more than a hundred injured.

As we drove back to the hotel after 4 am, having sent our final TV story by broadband, we saw various trash containers burning, a strange way to celebrate such a momentous victory.

On Thursday, we are at the fabled Camp Nou stadium. The team arrives from Rome around 6 pm local time, then boards open air buses for a three-hour victory lap around central Barcelona, finally due to arrive at the stadium which will be filled. Hundreds of thousands of people expected to continue the party across Barcelona for a second straight day.

At the stadium, there’ll be a presentation of the players and the cup, and the ceremony will be sure to include, yes, the Barca hymn. It’s a catchy tune, and I might just learn it by the time we’re finished here.