Argentinean ace Lionel Messi shined as Barcelona destroyed rivals Espanyol 5-0, in the Catalan derby at Camp Nou.

AVA- It took the Catalans 26 minutes to open the scoring on Saturday, when Messi reached Ivan Rakitic’s pass and fired the ball past the keeper to make it 1-0.

Messi then doubled the hosts advantage some 10 minutes later, as he slid-in Jordi Alba's smart cut-back. But the Argentinean Wizard didn’t stop there, he went-on to complete his hat-trick after the break from another Alba cross, putting Barca in a commanding position.

More goals, kept coming, as Gerard Pique made it 4-nil with an unstoppable header, and Luis Surez added the 5th in the 90th minute, as Barcelona headed to the top of table with the 5-nil victory.