There are several Real Madrid players who haven't had the impact on the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu that Lionel Messi has enjoyed, the Barcelona star's image turning into a haunting shadow once again in Sunday's Clasico.
It was not just in the two goals that the Argentine scored, ever more impressive for their beauty as he skipped past Dani Carvajal to bury the first and popped up late on to register the last-kick winner.
But the ruins Messi left in his wake, claiming Sergio Ramos and almost Casemiro as well, showed just how deep his impression on a single game of football can run.
Blancos captain Ramos was dismissed for a reckless challenge on the Blaugrana attacker that can largely be put down to the sheer anger that the centre-back had felt as Messi tormented his defence from the outset.
And Casemiro was lucky to get away with doubling up an early yellow with another cynical challenge that his counterpart went looking for and received in first-half stoppage time.
Luis Enrique will take a fair amount of credit, also, for Messi's performance by lining him up atop a 4-4-2 that caught Madrid out and could now send Zinedine Zidane's title challenge out the window.
