Lamine Yamal made a welcome return to action for Barcelona at the weekend and it took the precocious teenager around a minute to remind the Catalan giants what they had been missing.
Introduced in the 58th minute having missed the previous four matches with a groin injury, Yamal's impact was instant. The 18-year-old skipped past Real Sociedad substitute Sergio Gomez before sending over a perfect cross for Robert Lewandowski to nod home.
It turned out to be the winning goal and earned unbeaten Barcelona a 2-1 victory that saw them go one point clear at the top of La Liga, leapfrogging Real Madrid in the process. That capped a perfect weekend for Hansi Flick's side after Real's 5-2 derby humbling by Atletico Madrid a day earlier.
It was also a welcome boost having lost Joan Garcia and Raphinha to injury, joining Fermin Lopez and Gavi on the sidelines.
“It’s very good to have him back,” Flick said of Yamal after the match, a sentiment echoed by teammate Jules Kounde, who headed home the opening goal in Sunday's win. “Very happy that he is back playing again,” added the defender. “We are going to need him.”
Even opposition coach Sergio Francisco was waxing lyrical: "[Just] his presence on the pitch is a threat. He's showing every day he's the best player in the world. It's a treat to watch him.”
Earlier in the week, Yamal had finished second behind former Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele in the Ballon d'Or, claiming 1,059 voting points behind the now Paris Saint-Germain player's 1,380.
The Spain winger did manage to win the Kopa Trophy – awarded to the best player aged under 21 – for the second season running.
But it feels like only a matter of time before he is standing on the podium with the main award, following in the footsteps of his old Barca hero Lionel Messi, who has won the crown a record eight times.
In his pre-match press conference on Tuesday, though, Flick insisted that Yamal must also focus on improving his contribution when the team is out of possession.
“[Calling him] super, super, super … I don't like this … he's 18 years old and for me he also has to focus on working hard,” Flick added.
“It's not always easy, with talent you can get to this point, but to reach the next level, one or two steps more – and I think he's able to do that – he has to work hard.
“It's not only about playing with the ball, it's also defending. This is what we need from every player – even a great player with the ball like him – and this makes the difference.”
Yamal and Co now switch their attentions back to the Uefa Champions League where they take on the mighty challenge of holders PSG at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday night.
Barca started their campaign with an impressive 2-1 win over Newcastle United at a raucous St James' Park, with on-loan Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford scoring two quality goals.
And it was Rashford's fine cross that allowed Kounde to level the scores against Sociedad. The England international appears to be finding his groove away from the Old Trafford melodrama.
The 27-year-old has contributed three goals and four assists in the past six games and seems determined to repay the faith shown in him by Flick.
“Everyone can see it in the last games, the Newcastle match gives him a lot of confidence and now he's here, he's now arrived in Barcelona,” the German coach added.
“This is not always easy, to come to La Liga … with different opponents, a different style of how we play football, he's adapted [well].”
PSG, meanwhile, are trying to navigate their way through an injury crisis, despite also going top of their domestic league at the weekend following a 2-0 win at home to Auxerre.
Luis Enrique's side are three points clear at the top after recovering from the previous week's defeat at Marseille, their first loss of the campaign.
But preparations for Wednesday's tie have been hit by several key absences with Dembele, Desire Doue, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and captain Marquinhos all ruled out.
Dembele also misses out on the chance to show his former club how much he has improved as he continues his recovery from a thigh injury picked up while on international duty with France.
Doue, man-of-the-match in PSG's Champions League final demolition of Inter Milan and runner-up to Yamal in the Kopa Trophy, also picked up an injury while away with France and has not played since.
Defender Marquinhos and winger Kvaratskhelia both have thigh issues, but midfielder Joao Neves and playmaker Vitinha have been named in the squad despite both being injury worries.
“We have to stay positive because we need to be able to manage this situation,” said Luis Enrique, a former Barcelona player and manager. “Paris Saint-Germain are not the only team with injuries. It is the case for every team with such an intense calendar.”
PSG started their trophy defence with a 4-0 battering of Italian side Atalanta at Parc des Princes but it will be a weakened team lining up in Catalonia.
