It's not been so much warm-weather training but more warm-weather relaxing for Lionel Messi at Christmas. The Barcelona No 10 took advantage of La Liga's winter break and headed home to Rosario in Argentina where temperatures were in the mid-20s in what is summer time in South America.
Messi has always had his critics back home, accusing him of not loving the country of his birth, but whatever the circumstances of the season he always goes back to Argentina for the festive period and this year was no different despite the fact that Barca coach Ernesto Valverde gave the players just a one-week break between the last fixture of 2018 and the first of 2019.
That mythical month off, winter shut-down, is actually rarely more than a fortnight in Spain and this year most of the Barcelona squad were away for just seven days.
Barcelona played their final match of 2018 on Saturday, December 22, and Messi flew to Argentina after the game. He and the other South American players spent both Christmas and New Year at home before their return.
For Messi's European team-mates training began again last Sunday, a week ahead of the return to action away at Getafe this Sunday, January 6.
Messi and fellow South Americans Coutinho, Suarez and Malcom have been given special dispensation to spend New Year in their home countries and are back in training on Wednesday, January 2.
That means that by Friday all the players can make their annual hospital visit in Catalonia brining sick children presents ahead of the traditional January 5 gift-giving 'Kings' Day' and they will also all be in place for the annual open training session in front of supporters at the club's mini stadium.
It was a short break for Messi despite the fact that the team is not involved in action until the first Sunday of the new year but there is a trade-off for the reduced time off. With only seven days away the club don't send the players off with a lengthy dossier full of home training regimes, diet plans and a strict work out strategies.
Messi and company were told that the most important things are rest and complete disconnection.
Messi often spends part of his summer break in home training in Catalonia. He has a mini-pitch in his back garden on the Costa Brava and has been filmed by wife Antonella before, doing rainbow kicks over his huge dog Hulk to cheers of approval from his watching elder son Thiago and Mateo - but his time in Rosario can be dedicated to rest and recuperation ahead of the second half of the season with Barcelona in good form in the Champions League and top in the domestic competition.
There was, however, an opportunity to make sure his unrivalled ball skills stayed super-sharp: Messi had a teqball table set up in his back garden and spent time playing with his eldest son, Thiago. In the game the ball must be returned to the opponent's side of the table by touching it a maximum of three times, so plenty of practice should set Thiago well on his way to matching his father's legendary technique.
Christmas eve night is the most important family time in South America. 'Noche Buena' (Good Night) is the main shared meal, and carries more importance than Christmas Day. Present opening also tends to happen on the night of the 24th as opposed to the 25th.
Messi did a Secret Santa, receiving some goalkeeper's gloves from Gianluigi Buffon and sending Philippe Coutinho a cuddly toy for his baby daughter. The filmed exchange of presents was to raise funds for Neymar's charitable foundation. The gift swaps also included Coutinho giving Luis Suarez some miniature toy hamburgers and Suarez responding first by complaining they were not real and they by joking: 'We all like hamburgers eh! It's not just me, Neymar and Leo [Messi] do too!'
Barcelona held their traditional Christmas dinner at the city's plush Via Veneto restaurant. A tasting menu including goose-liver 'bombons', smoked salmon, caviar, lobster and steak usually sets customers back €120 at the exclusive uptown venue. The entire playing staff, minus only Samuel Umtiti who was in Qatar recuperating from a knee injury and Coutinho, who had been given leave by Valverde, were all present. With training next day at 11am there was no chance the night out would continue into the early hours of the morning.
Real Madrid's Christmas plans tend to be similar to Barcelona's but because of the World Club Cup participation they have a rearranged league fixture, against Villarreal, to play on January 3 and so returned slightly sooner than their Barca counterparts.
At least they did not go into their Christmas break as they did last year - off the back of a Christmas Clasico hammering. Barcelona beat Real Madrid 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on December 23, 2017 and Messi celebrated by posting a picture of himself and his family in Santa's Grotto back in Rosario.
Messi's new year celebrations were low-key ahead of his family's return to Barcelona in time for training on Wednesday, but he did welcome in 2019 by dancing with Antonella. She shared a video on Instagram of the couple together on the dancefloor, although Messi's footwork off the pitch is, understandably, not quite in the same league as it is on it.
The party is now over, however, and after another Christmas spent enjoying the Rosario sun and the warmth of his family in Argentina, Messi is now back fit and ready to fire for Barcelona in 2019 - his 20th year at the club.