VIDEO: Just another sumptuous hat-trick for Lionel Messi

He's a good player.

Fresh from setting Arsenal on their usual February decline, Messi is back in Spain doing what he does to most teams: destroying them. Barcelona beat Rayo Vallecano 5-1 on Thursday night away from home to stretch their lead at the top of La Liga to eight points. And, whilst you might not have guessed it, Lionel Messi was prominent. His first goal was a typical drive at the heart of defence, create, finish routine from the Argentine. His second was just superb reactions and footwork. His third was the classic cut across the defender to take his space and finish devastatingly trick. Vallecano's tactic of not bothering to mark the Ballon d'Or champion didn't pay off on this occasion.