Whilst there has been some fair criticism of Barcelona's inability to build a Champions League-winning system around Lionel Messi as Real Madrid have taken an iron grip of the competition over the past three years, the Argentine is obsessed with the tournament from now on.
PSV Eindhoven were the visitors to the Camp Nou for the opening match in the 2018/19 edition and the Dutch champions were blown away by Messi's incredible individual display.
He opened the scoring with a sumptuous free kick in the first half, bringing to an end Hirving Lozano's early spell of dominance in the match.
It's been clear for a number of years that the La Masia graduate is desperate to win another Champions League, and there simply haven't been the players around him to do that.
Josep Maria Bartomeu looked to rectify that with Eric Abidal over the summer transfer window, with Arturo Vidal, Arthur, Clement Lenglet and Malcom all brought in to bolster the squad.
Whilst Vidal may seem like merely a minor upgrade on Paulinho, the other players have added depth to Ernesto Valverde's squad.
Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have battled each other for years in the Champions League and the Barcelona icon has started his campaign off in the perfect possible manner, with Ronaldo waiting to make his first European appearance for Juventus against Valencia on Wednesday.
Never before has a player scored eight hat-tricks in the Champions League, yet the forward achieved just that on Tuesday evening, breaking the tie with Ronaldo.
The start of the 2017/18 season was impressive for the Argentine international as he found the net regularly, and he's raced ahead this term in a similar manner.
Over the course of six matches he's played in he's managed to score seven goals, a streak which has helped catapult the Blaugrana to the top of the LaLiga Santander table.
As Messi said at the start of the season, he wants the Champions League this year too, and he couldn't have gotten off to a better start.
gramme
137
Friendly Reminder: This week Leo Messi's foundation have established in Turkana, K e n y a, a solar-powered pumping system that will complement the supply system to make more than 2,000 people drink fresh water. Donated huge amount to UNICEF to prevent and cure a special illness in North A.frica. Not only that, only a month ago, he donated 4.2m in Argentina to build a hospital and nobody talks about... Because he doesn't aim PR over it. He makes it silent as possible as it all should be. Not only a great player but also a great family man and charity guy
blackjust
118
They say Messi is just a talent but look at how he has improved his freekicks. Right now he is a pure freekick master, one of the best in history, unlike his younger ages. Or how sharp his physique at this age. This is pure dedication, hard work and extreme professionalism. Young players should take this guy as an perfect example. I feel myself so lucky for being able to watch the greatest ever!