Lionel Messi’s collection for PSG against Clermont shows he is still the best player in the world

Messi put in a stunning display in PSG’s opening league game of the new season on Saturday.

But it wasn’t just his goalscoring contributions that had fans buzzing about his scintillating exit.

Messi looked to be back to his best after an underwhelming campaign last season.

He was very influential in the attacking third, dropping deep to get the ball to dictate play.

The 35-year-old showed off his playmaking skills, spraying the ball up the park and appearing fully integrated into the team.

Needless to say, his performance took social media by surprise.

One Twitter user wrote: “Got an overhead kick but his game was unbeatable as always. Passes over the line, how he carried the ball forward, how he glided around the pitch, just wow.”

A second tweet: “Masterclass of play and goals in a single game.”

A third added: “35 and still playing like a new player.”

Another commented: “He’s really back.”

PSG boss Christophe Galtier has spoken enthusiastically about Messi and revealed the pre-season chat he had with the superstar forward.

“I spoke to Leo during our time in Japan as well as the defense to try and make sure he can perform at his best all the time,” he said.

“He is very sharp, very clear tactically. He sees very quickly where he needs to be, how he needs to be positioned to play. He is in a zone that he likes. He likes to play with players around him. When Leo smiles, The team he’s smiling too.”

On his goal, Galtier added: “Was I surprised by what he did? No, but I liked the goal. He has been playing at a very high level for 17 years. He had a difficult season last year, he was adjusting. Every season before that he had at least 30 goals.

“Since he has a full preparation, he is stable both in his family life and at the club, there is no reason why he cannot have a great season. When he works with Kylian, we will have an even greater attacking force.”