Barca appear to have thrown off their shaky early season form, with Messi at the centre of the turnaround. The Argentine said at the final whistle: "I am very happy and I was lucky enough to score. I believe that the goals are part of my good form and it's a question of confidence.

"It seems that everytime I shoot I have a chance of scoring. It's going well for me."

Both Barca coach Frank Rijkaard and Zaragoza rival Victor Fernandez were full of praise for Messi and the midfielder added: "I am very pleased with what they had to say about me.

"It's always nice to receive praise, but I am part of a very good team. I am grateful to everyone."