Lionel Messi was told by his coach Ronald Koeman that he could be playing better during the week, and the Argentine duly obliged, providing a goal and an assist in the 5-1 trouncing of Ferencvaros.
But how did Messi play overall?
📷 Messi: Match Snapshot
⚽ ⏱️ 27' It was another penalty for Messi but the eye-catching thing was his superb dribble which created the spot kick, slipping and sliding inside three different challenges before being felled in the area. The 33-year-old got up and slotted the kick into the bottom corner.
Barcelona unquestionably looked better balanced with Francisco Trincao operating from the right in place of Antoine Griezmann, and though the standard of opposition was modest, it was still an excellent evening's work.
Messi slipped the ball to Ansu Fati to backheel for Philippe Coutinho to make it three and kill the contest early in the second half and from there it was a keep-ball session for the Spanish giants.
Gerard Pique's red card did put Barca under a bit of pressure, but 17-year-old Pedri's fourth goal edged them clear again and put the seal on the result.
A ⏱️ 89' And in the dying moments Messi swivelled in the area and unselfishly laid the ball into the bath of Ousmane Dembele, who lashed his finish into the net to provide Messi with an assist.
Barcelona 5-1 Ferencvaros: Player Ratings, Match Stats, Player Stats
〽️ Messi: Rating Week-on-Week
✔️ IMPROVEMENT
Messi, by his standards, had a relatively low-key outing against Getafe at the weekend as Barcelona lost 1-0, recording a 6.9 FC Rating.
He enjoyed a huge bump up to 9.5 FC Rating after the outing against Ferencvaros.
🗝️ Key Stats
Messi match stats
| Statistic | Value | Notes |
| FC Rating | 9.5 | |
| Mins Played | 90 | |
| Touches | 87 | Rank #3 |
| Comp Dribbles | 7 | Rank #1 |
| Shots | 3 | Rank #1 |
| On Target | 3 | Rank #1 |
| Goals | 1 | |
| Assists | 1 |
Messi: What Next?
Messi looked revitalised being surrounded by younger, hungry players and Barcelona will be hoping he retains this level of motivation for much of the season to come.
Lionel Messi 
Barcelona 
Fenerbahçe 
