The evening of August 18, Camp Nou.
In the 2013–14 season's opening La Liga match, Barcelona hosted Levante.
It was a highly anticipated clash, Barcelona's debut in the new season, and also Cristiano Ronaldo's first official match since joining Barça. Everyone was eager to see how the team shaped by Gerardo Martino would perform.
Martino once again continued Barça's traditional 4-3-3 formation in this match. Valdes was in goal, with Adriano, Mathieu, Pique, and Alves in defense. The three midfielders were Fabregas, Busquets, and Xavi, while the Trident up front consisted of Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Messi.
Because of Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival, Messi had returned to the familiar right-wing position during the preseason friendlies. This was clearly because they had seen Cristiano Ronaldo's versatility and outstanding physical strength in duels.
The match had barely begun when, in the third minute, Xavi sent a through ball from the edge of the penalty area. Fabregas beat the offside trap and squared it to Neymar, who scored to give Barça the lead.
It was also Barça's first official goal of the season.
Then, in the twelfth minute, Little Ronaldo broke through and sent a direct pass into the left side of the box. Neymar controlled the ball and laid it back, and Little Ronaldo pushed it into the net from in front of goal to make it 2–0.
In the twenty-fourth minute, Messi won the ball in the attacking third and passed it to Fabregas. His one-on-one shot was parried by Levante goalkeeper Navas, but Alves followed up calmly and scored. 3–0.
Just two minutes later, another through ball from Messi found Neymar, who finished his one-on-one chance. 4–0.
In the forty-first minute, Adriano was tripped inside the box. Messi calmly converted the penalty. 5–0.
In the forty-fifth minute, Fabregas chipped the ball