There’s not much else to say about Lionel Messi, is there?

The Argentinian forward was at his brilliant best as Barcelona defeated Espanyol 4-0 on Saturday evening.

He netted two glorious free-kicks and provided an assist for Ousmane Dembele that may rank among his best ever.

The fact that his masterclass came at the end of a week in which Messi was considered to be the fifth best player in the world must make it even sweeter for the 31-year-old.

And his placing at the Ballon d’Or wasn’t the only slight against Messi’s name this week.

In an interview with Folha de Sao Paulo, Brazil legend Pele dismissed the idea that Messi is a better player than he was.

"How can you make a comparison between a guy who heads the ball well, shoots with the left, shoots with the right and another who only shoots with one leg, only has one skill and doesn’t head the ball well?" Pele said, his quotes translated by Goal.

Jordi Alba's strong response to Pele

Gary Lineker passed Pele’s comments off as “utter nonsense” and Jordi Alba has gone a step further in his reaction.

Speaking after Messi’s display against Espanyol, to which Alba had the perfect view, the left-back issued a strong response to Pele.

“Pele must not be able to see very well if he says what he says about Leo,” Alba said, per Sport.

“It seems like a lie that someone in the world of football could speak like that.”

Alba is of the belief that nobody is playing better than Messi right now.

“Leo's the best in the world by some distance," he added.

Despite the outcome of the Ballon d’Or, and Pele’s comments, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to put anyone above Messi.

He’s capable of doing things that simply defy belief.

And Pele may already be reconsidering his own opinion on the little magician.