The Blaugrana's new skipper scored an ingenious free-kick against Alaves to get the Catalans' Liga title defence off to a winning start at Camp Nou
Lionel Messi's leadership skills have been questioned by some, not by anyone at Barcelona, though.
So, when it came to picking Andres Iniesta's successor as captain this summer, there was only ever one candidate, a man who is as humble as he is inspirational.
"We will miss Andres this season," Messi told Barca's fans during the week, "but I will not shy away from this responsibility."
They never feared that he would.