But Messi's role in Barcelona's 3-0 victory quickly put superstitious thoughts to rest. The goals were vintage Messi, a mix of balance, quick judgment and reflexes, and changes of pace to open angles through Elche's defense before slotting unstoppable shots just inside the uprights with the silky touch of his left boot.
Even more encouraging was his hustle, last seen on a regular basis when former coach Pep Guardiola helped Messi exploit his incredible potential. In the 28th minute, Messi sprinted back to pressure an Elche player with the ball and cut him down with a nasty tackle. The home crowd wouldn't have minded if he had gotten booked because Messi's effort, as always, was contagious. The team didn't skip a beat playing with 10 men in the second half after Javier Mascherano was sent off.
If World Cup disappointment is still gnawing at Messi, it doesn't show. He looked buoyant, determined, even happy -- nothing like the grim-faced losing finalist who appeared to have been hollowed out by the 1-0 extra time loss to Germany at the Maracana Stadium in July, a bitterness which his award as the competition's best player did nothing to sweeten.
