Barcelona travelled to Levante on Sunday night, which is where their incredible 36-game unbeaten La Liga run ended last season.
Having rotated his team for the 1-1 Champions League draw with Tottenham, manager Ernesto Valverde recalled his big names at the Ciutat de Valencia.
That meant returns to the starting XI for Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suarez, and of course, Lionel Messi.
The Argentine put on a masterclass to destroy neighbours Espanyol last weekend and he was at it again against Levante - producing a phenomenal display.
Messi scored a hat-trick and provided two great assists in Barca's 5-0 win, and adding that to his all-round performance shows no one is on his level right now.
Messi's magical performance at Levante
The iconic forward needed time to settle into the match, but when he did, he popped up with yet another showcase of ridiculous vision to assist Suarez's opener.
After latching onto a loose ball, Messi drove across the edge of Levante's penalty area and seemed to be going nowhere before somehow dinking a superb cross to his strike partner.
As replay angles show, the Barca captain didn't even look up or break stride as he assisted Suarez in the 35th-minute but instead relied on his wondrously good peripheral vision.
The little magician then hit a 17-minute hat-trick, firing clinical strikes past 'keeper Oier Olazabal each time to finish off slick moves, including a goal on his right foot.
In addition to his goal involvements, Messi proved his ability to go from a walking pace to top acceleration, both in terms of running and his footballing brain, is unrivalled.
For the first time in his Barca career, the 31-year-old superstar has now scored and assisted at least one goal in three consecutive away La Liga matches.
Messi's individual highlights in Levante win
It was a ten out of ten performance from Leo Messi at Levante, so sit back, relax and enjoy the highlights of a true master at work in any of the videos below.
Messi's exceptional technical ability allows him to bring the pictures he sees in his head to life, and he's now recorded 20 goals and 12 assists in just 19 matches this campaign - incredible.
Thanks to another virtuoso display from their talisman, Valverde's Barca maintain a three-point lead at the top of the table and will host Celta Vigo in their final game of 2018.
Do YOU think Messi is the best player in the world? What are YOUR thoughts on his display at Levante? Leave YOUR opinions in the comments box below!