Messi has enjoyed his best ever to start to a La Liga campaign through the opening five games, scoring nine goals.
The 30-year-old has 12 goals in eight games in all competitions this season and has picked up two hat-tricks in the Spanish top flight, the latest coming in Tuesday’s 6-1 win over Eibar.
It will be forever debated whether he or Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player in the world.
The Ballon d’Or has been shared between the star duo for the last nine seasons with Ronaldo odds-on favourite to win his fifth award this year.
But Messi’s Barcelona team-mate Rakitic is in no doubt who he believes is the best in the world.

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“As a playmaker, I am blessed to play with the greatest attackers in the world,” Rakitic told the Player’s Tribune
“With Messi, for example, the whole world sees his brilliance in the games.
“But you have to multiply that by 20 or 50 for what he’s doing in the training sessions.
“It is a joy for me, just as a fan of pure football, to be able to play with him every day.
“But it’s not just him — it was Neymar and Xavi, and now Suárez, Iniesta, Piqué.
“There is a rhythm to the way we try to play — it’s like a big machine.”