Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde could not hide his satisfaction at having the best player in the world in his squad.
“With Lionel Messi, when he has the ball you always believe that anything can happen -- good things for us," he said after the Argentine's brace in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Juventus.
"It’s not just about his goals, either, but his all round involvement. I have suffered against Messi many times, now I am lucky enough to have him on my team.
Messi has now scored eight goals this season, with seven coming in his last three appearances.
Under Valverde he is playing in a more central role, although the former Athletic Bilbao coach says tactics have little to do with Messi's brilliance.
“You can put Messi in any position and he can score goals,” he added Valverde.
“His quality is always the same wherever he is. It doesn’t matter if he’s on the wing or in the middle, he’s always connected to the play.”