Lionel Messi was up to his old tricks on Sunday with a mercurial performance against Villarreal and he provided a rather sensational goal to boot.

The trip to the Estadio de la Ceramica is never an easy one and Blaugrana were left frustrated for 72 minutes, before eventually turning on the style to secure a 2-0 win. Victory saw Barcelona regain their five point lead atop La Liga and kept Real Madrid at arm's length.

Luis Suarez provided the opening goal yet it was Messi that ran the show, nearly gifting a second goal for the Uruguayan with an outrageously deft lobbed pass.

Messi penned his own name on scoresheet, too, with a smart one-on-finish, even though it should technically have been disallowed with a second football in play.

It elevated the 30-year-old's goal tally to an impressive 21 for club and country this season in his new false nine role under Ernesto Valverde.

Nevertheless, it was the genius of his dribbling just before the finish that went viral with his intricate footwork sending two Villarreal clattering into one another. They had to watch from the turf as Messi put the game to bed.

Obviously, Messi didn't purposely set the pair on a collision course yet it serves as the perfect example of how to traverse two defenders in one clean motion.

It's not the first time the Barcelona super star has pulled the trick, after all. In light of the publicity around Messi's latest defender wipe out, the YouTuber 'MessiTheBoss' has demonstrated that it's far from an isolated incident.

For all of the Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo debate, there's only one winner when it comes to dribbling and this latest video shows that defenders, even in pairs, just can't figure him out.

Check out the brilliant compilation below:

Magic. The 15 incidents range from pure calamity to Messi literally drawing the defenders into heavy tackles with one another, with the Uruguay clip coming inches from breaking bone.

Manchester United will also be given an untimely reminder of the Argentine leaving Nemanja Matic and Michael Carrick in a tangle from 2009 as Messi effortlessly regained his balance and danced on.

So, at least the two unlucky Villarreal defenders can take sanctuary in the fact they aren't the first and they certainly won't be the last.

And on current form this season, let's just say the race for the 2018 Ballon d'Or will be quite the competition. 

Do you think Lionel Messi is the certified GOAT? Have your say in the comments section below.