Messi takes Mallorca apart to celebrate Ballon d'Or
Barcelona 5-2 Real Mallorca: as it happened
Full time at the Camp Nou, where it finishes 5-2 to Barcelona - a result that sees the Blaugrana leapfrog Real Madrid to return to the top of LaLiga.
As was the case at the Wanda last Sunday, Lionel Messi deservedly takes the lion's share of the plaudits, with his 35th LaLiga hat-trick - a new record in Primera División - offering us a very swift reminder of why he collected his sixth Ballon d'Or on Monday.
Special mention must also go to Luis Suárez's ridiculous, backheeled strike for Barça's fourth. What a sumptuous piece of football that was.
That's all from me - thanks for reading!
Messi slips Suárez into shooting space inside the box... but Reina beats out the striker's angled shot! And that's that!
Ufff! As he looks to nod the ball back into Reina's arms, Raillo almost heads a cross over his goalkeeper and into his own net. Luckily for the defender, Reina just gets there to clutch on and spare his blushes.
Three minutes of time added on.
Almost six! Busquets lifts the ball over to Roberto on the right, but Suárez can't beat Reina when the full-back touches it across goal!
At one end, the bright Kubo darts into the box and forces Ter Stegen to look alive to grab hold of his ball across goal. At the other, Messi draws a save from Reina.
Both sides make their third and final subs. For Barça, Griezmann makes way for Carles Pérez - to warm applause - and, for Mallorca, Abdón Prats is on for the two-goal Budimir.
Oooh, that's another lovely goal! 5-2 to Barcelona, and Messi has his hat-trick!
From the byline, Roberto knocks the ball back to Suárez, who has his back to goal. With Messi arriving, he touches it back to the Argentine, who thumps the ball in off the underside of the bar and past Reina!
Poor Sastre is in the wars. He and Aleñá collide as they go in for a 50-50 ball, and the Mallorca defender comes off the worse. Free-kick to the visitors.
Vidal is booked for a robust challenge on Dani Rodríguez. Meanwhile, Sastre is in need of attention after hurting his shoulder. He looks like he'll be fine to go on.
That's a smart stop from Ter Stegen! Cucho Hernández receives on the corner of the area and tries to curl the ball past the German and into his left-hand top corner, but the Barcelona keeper gets a hand to it.
Again Sergi Roberto is involved, crossing low towards Suárez - but a white shirt gets a boot to it and Reina gathers.
Suárez shoots straight at Reina! Roberto plays in Vidal, who cuts it back to the Uruguayan striker on the penalty spot - but he tops his shot, and it bounces into Reina's hands.
Messi twists and turns on the edge of the box before trying to feed a pass through for Junior on the left... but it's cut out.
Barcelona also make their second substitution, Ivan Rakitic going off to a warm ovation and being replaced by Carles Aleñá. It's the Barça youth product's first appearance of the season since being hooked at half time of the opening-day defeat at Athletic Bilbao.
Mallorca make their second change, Baba making way for Josep Señé.
Kubo picks up the ball and darts infield... but overhits his pass towards the left flank and the ball drifts over the Barcelona goalline. Carles Aleñá is about to come on, it appears.
Piqué is the second player booked tonight, after leading with his arm in an aerial challenge with Cucho Hernández.
Budimir heads in his second goal of the night! 4-2.
Kubo feeds Fran Gámez, who curls over a decent enough cross - but Ter Stegen gets his positioning all wrong and Budimir basically has an empty net to nod into!
Barcelona make their first substitution of the night, as De Jong comes off for Arturo Vidal.
Busquets tees up Messi with a neat backheel, but Messi - uncharacteristically - blazes well over.
Kubo curls in a corner, which is headed behind for a second corner. This time the Japanese plays it short, cuts inside and fires a shot towards the far corner... but it's too high.
Mallorca make their first change, bringing on Cucho Hernández for Salva Sevilla.
Messi drives towards the box and touches the ball to the right to Suárez, but his attempt to spin and shoot doesn't come off, and it trundles into the arms of Reina.
Mallorca break at pace, but Lenglet is ideally placed to step across and cut the ball out when the visitors look to get Kubo scuttling in behind the home defence.
De Jong is almost in for a fifth... but his touch is just too heavy! Barcelona get Rakitic in behind the Mallorca defence and to the byline, but his midfield colleague can't quite bring the cut-back into the box under his spell.
De Jong surges into the Mallorca half and slips Griezmann into the box with a neat reverse ball, but the striker's angled finish is too close to Reina!
Febas drives forward into Barcelona's half and is felled by Lenglet. The Real Madrid youth product is a little miffed that the defender isn't booked for the offence. And moments later, Griezmann should score!
Ufff! Rakitic isn't all that far away from firing in a fifth, as his 30-yard drive skims over the surface and just past Reina's far post.
No changes for either side, by the way.
Peeep! We're back underway at the Camp Nou.
Having been handed a pummelling for the first half hour, Mallorca were back in it for about three minutes, before being handed a pummelling once more.
That fourth Barcelona goal. Woof!
Words fail me! What a goal! 4-1.
It's glorious stuff from Barça. They pop it about confidently outside the Mallorca box, before De Jong exchanges passes with Roberto and slips it into the area to Suárez... who finds the far corner with an ingenious, impudent backheel!
A genuinely awe-inspiring goal, both in its build-up play and Suárez's stunning finish.
Messi scores the goal that Messi always scores! 3-1. "I've seen that one before," says Michael Robinson on Spanish television.
For about three minutes, Mallorca were visibly encouraged by their goal - but, in the blink of an eye, Barça get the ball to Messi in his favourite area at the top of the box, and he steers his shot past Reina and into the corner.
Fightback snuffed out.
Mallorca pull one back! It's a fine goal, as well!
Rodríguez leads a quick break by Los Bermellones, which Barcelona initially quell. However, the visitors keep the ball well and work it to Sevilla. He threads a pinpoint through ball into Budimir, who advances into the box and strikes past Ter Stegen and into the far corner, via a deflection off Lenglet's boot!
You'd have got long odds on the next goal being for Mallorca - they were getting absolutely pummelled. But suddenly it's 2-1 at the Camp Nou.
Suárez is released in behind the Mallorca defence and rounds Reina, but flops to the turf before he can turn the ball into the open net. Though there are appeals for a penalty, replays show he basically fell over all by himself. You'd have bet the proverbial house on him finishing off that opening.
Again Mallorca are utterly carved up by Barcelona. Suárez lifts the ball across the box to find the run of Messi, who chests it down and strikes, but can't beat Reina. It was a tight angle, to be fair to him.
Suárez hits the post! Roberto gets to the byline and cuts it back to the Uruguayan striker, who takes a touch and steers the ball towards the corner - but it rebounds off the upright and bounces across goal. So nearly a third.
After a lovely bit of combination play bewteen Messi and Griezmann almost creates an opening for Suárez, the hosts win it straight back. The ball is lifted to the back post, where Suárez heads across goal for Griezmann to score - but the Frenchman can't quite get there. Barça quickly reclaim possession once more, though, and look rather like adding a third before too long.
Rodríguez lifts a bouncing ball towards Ter Stegen's top corner - and isn't that far away. Kubo was again involved, and has been at the heart of pretty much anything worthy of note from Vicente Moreno's visiting side so far tonight.
It's two now! Messi pings an unstoppable shot past Reina and into the top corner!
"This could well be a massacre," says Maldini on Spanish TV. Griezmann feeds the ball into Messi's feet 20 yards out, and, seemingly all in one motion, the Argentine spins and shoots high into the back of the net.
Lovely goal.
Smart stop from Reina! From a Barcelona corner, Busquet's header is arrowing high into the net, but Mallorca's goalkeeper tips it over the bar. So nearly two for the hosts.
Rakitic releases Roberto into crossing space, but Mallorca scramble it clear. Busquets lifts a neat ball over the top for Messi, but Mallorca scramble it clear. Griezmann squares low from the left, but Mallorca scramble ot clear. Barcelona's attacks are coming in insistent waves.
Here, by the way, is Messi showing off the Ballon d'Or earlier, accompanied by his sons.
Sergi Roberto is the first man into the book for bringing down Kubo on the left flank. It's a tasty-looking free-kick for Mallorca... but it's cleared with the minimum of fuss.
Goal to Barcelona! Griezmann gives Barcelona the lead, and it would be being kind on Mallorca to say that was bad defending.
Marc-André ter Stegen collects a Mallorca corner-kick delivery and quickly pings a long pass upfield which, easy as you like, gets Griezmann running in behind the visiting defence to dink a cute finish over the onrushing Reina.
It shouldn't be that easy.
That's a lovely bit of play by Kubo. The whistles from the Camp Nou crowd don't appear to faze him as he collects, looks up and drifts a beautiful angled ball to the Barcelona back post, where a stretching Dani Rodríguez can't quite on the end of it.
Messi cuts inside on the right and curls a low effort towards the far corner, but it's blocked. Mallorca fail to clear properly, though, and Antoine Griezmann exchanges passes with Messi before lifting over a cross - but it's too long.
Messi is quickly into the action, seeking to thread a ball in behind the Mallorca backline for Luis Suárez to run onto. The visitors clear, and just for a moment Takefusa Kubo looks to have engineered a shooting chance in the box... but Barça get it away. Kubo seemed to be fouled by Junior Firpo on the edge of the area, but nothing's given.
Peeeeeep! We are up and running in Barcelona.
"Meeeeesssi, Messssi..."
The teams are out at the Camp Nou, where our referee is José Munuera. Handshakes done, coin toss done... it's time for Lionel Messi to show off his record sixth Ballon d'Or. "Meeeesssi, Meeeeesssi," chant the Camp Nou fans as his sons bring out the trophy for their dad to hold aloft.
"I don't think it's going to be his last Ballon d'Or," notes Spanish TV pundit Julio 'Maldini' Maldonado.
How and where to watch, you ask...
By the way, we've prepared a guide on how and where to watch Barcelona vs Mallorca this evening. You can find that article here.
Messi also named LaLiga Player of the Month
Mr Messi scored a rather scrumptious winner at Atlético last weekend - capping off a fantastic all-round display - and now has five goals in his last four games for Barcelona. Such has been his recent form that the Ballon d'Or wasn't the only prize he picked up this week: he was also named LaLiga's Player of the Month for November.
Messi to parade Ballon d'Or trophy pre-match
This man picked up his sixth Ballon d'Or on Monday - no-one has won as many in the history of the award - and will parade the trophy in front of the Barça home fans before tonight's game.
...and, from a Mallorca point of view at least, the not altogether encouraging stats just go on. They visit a Barcelona side who are unbeaten at home in any competition since November 2018, and who have been victorious in their last five in LaLiga against the Balearic Islanders, keeping a clean sheet in four of those games.
Mallorca without their top scorer at Camp Nou
And speaking of Lago Júnior, he has scored four goals in his last six league games, but is unavailable to Mallorca tonight due to injury. That's something of a blow to Los Bermellones; having lost all six away matches in Primera División so far this season, they must now bid to prevent six from becoming seven without their leading marksman.
Mallorca arrive at Camp Nou just above LaLiga drop zone
Mallorca caused a surprise at the end of October when Lago Júnior's goal gave them a 1-0 home triumph over Real Madrid, but they have won just one in six in the league since then, and go to Barcelona in 17th, only one point clear of the relegation zone.
One change for Mallorca
Mallorca boss Vicente Moreno also makes just the one change, bringing Joan Sastre in at full-back as a result of Lumor Agbenyenu's suspension for his red card against Real Betis last time out.
On-loan Real Madrid midfielder Takefusa Kubo starts against the club at which he spent four years as a youth player.
Busquets back for Barça, Rakitic keeps place
Barcelona coach Valverde makes just the one change to the team that beat Atlético Madrid a week ago, as Sergio Busquets returns from suspension to take his place in midfield. The injured Arthur Melo makes way.
Having been something of a fringe figure in the opening period of the season, Ivan Rakitic starts his third game in a row for the champions.
Real Mallorca team news:
Starting line-up: Reina, Sastre, Gámez, Valjent, Raíllo, Baba, Febas, Sevilla, Rodríguez, Kubo, Budimir
Barcelona team news:
Starting line-up: Ter Stegen, S. Roberto, Piqué, Lenglet, Junior, Busquets, Rakitic, De Jong, Messi, Suárez, Griezmann
Kick-off in Catalonia is just under an hour away, and the team news is in - stand by...
Real open up provisional lead with easy Espanyol victory
Madrid went provisionally three points clear of Barça with a 2-0 win over Espanyol earlier on Saturday, but the Blaugrana will reclaim first place on goal difference if they beat Mallorca at the Camp Nou.
Good evening! Welcome to our live coverage of Barcelona's LaLiga clash with Real Mallorca, as Ernesto Valverde's men seek to reclaim top spot from Real Madrid.