FC Barcelona wonderkid Ansu Fati said he is learning from Lionel Messi after firing his side to a 4-0 win over Villarreal in their first game of the La Liga season on Sunday.

With all the pre-match build-up centring on Messi’s anger at the club’s decision to force Luis Suarez out and join Atletico Madrid, Fati stole the show by giving Barca an early advantage with two expertly taken finishes in the opening 20 minutes.

He then won the penalty which captain Messi dispatched to score the third in the 35th.

Villarreal defender Pau Torres scored an own goal right at the end of the first half to heap more pain on Unai Emery’s side.

Fati, 17, who was not even two years old when Messi made his Barca debut back in 2004, recalled a childhood looking up to the six-time World Player of the Year and said the Argentinean was helping him improve.

“Playing with Messi is a dream I had since I was a child and now I am living it,” the forward told reporters.

“He gives me a lot of advice, he helps me a lot on the pitch and in training, but away from it too, and that makes me very happy.”