My favourite thing about Messi (and it's a long list) is that nothing is unnecessary. For a player with such incredible skill there is actually very little flamboyance. Every touch is for a reason, no moment wasted. His fantastic football brain maps his route to goal; his phenomenal talent takes him there in the most efficient number of actions. What looks sexy is actually unerringly economical.
Watch Messi's second goal again, from the moment he takes on Jerome Boateng. An international defender is made the star of a million Vines. The greatest goalkeeper in the world is left stranded and helpless. Four touches.
Four touches. One to set the trap, to give Boateng the sniff. One to commit the defender to making the grave mistake; the trap snaps shut. One more to send Boateng spinning and tumbling to the floor. One final touch to dink the ball over Neuer, with his wrong foot. Never once did Messi move out of stride.
Messi is not a magician, because nothing he does is magic. It's just the same old football, but done to perfection.