If you're thinking of going to see Lionel Messi at a stadium near you sometime during this Major League Soccer season, or this summer in the Copa América, then your train of thought is probably quite predictable.
The influx of fans who turn up whenever the Argentina superstar is in action for Inter Miami, often paying vastly inflated secondary market prices for the privilege, tend to arrive with a fairly uniform laundry list of priorities.
Naturally, they want to see Messi play, rather than be sidelined with the occasional nagging injuries that can befall a 36-year-old who gets kicked a lot by defenders. And they want to see him score, just like you'd want to see Shohei Ohtani ding one over the fence, or Patrick Mahomes fizz a couple of touchdown passes, or Caitlin Clark swish a bunch of deep threes, and so on.
But while Messi's goals have filled highlight reels for nearly two decades now, American fans are swiftly finding out that there is something arguably more enjoyable and definitely more exquisite than seeing him slam the ball into the net.
It is when the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner creates goals, like he did a ridiculous five times in Inter Miami's 6-2 victory over New York Red Bulls on Saturday, that his true genius is on full display. If you didn't see the game, go watch the highlights. If you've already seen the highlights, go watch them again.
It is different level stuff, wizardry that is beyond the comprehension of even most elite soccer players, let alone us regular folk who just like to watch. Just when it looked like the buzz was wearing off a little after the electrifying start to Messi's American adventure last year, well, here it is again.
Accompanied by some of his old buddies from Barcelona, Messi is having a blast. With Sergio Busquets marshalling the midfield, Luis Suarez ready to pounce on any scoring chances and Messi's favorite workout partner Jordi Alba in the squad but temporarily injured, a smile is never too far from his face.
Messi is MLS' joint top scorer with 10, matched only by his pal Suarez, while his 12 assists is five clear of the next closest on the list. All despite having missed four of Inter's 12 games, with the team clear at the top of the Eastern Conference and with the league's best overall record.
Messi-fever might not be quite as frenetic as when he scored that dream free-kick to win his first game last July and led the team to the Leagues Cup title, but make no mistake, things are still bubbling along nicely. As for all that hyperbolic talk about this being the most important signing in MLS history? It almost, somehow, feels like an understatement.
"I always say the same thing," Miami head coach Tata Martino told reporters. "It is redundant to talk about him. Messi makes the difference, always. He participated in six goals. I don't think we will ever see anything like that again."
MLS hadn't seen anything like it before. His performance against New York made him the first player in league history to either assist in five goals in the same game or to have a role in six. The effort somehow overshadowed Suarez's sublime hat-trick, with Martino describing their connection as "just like the old days."
The first assist wasn't anything particularly special, a nice simple touch into the path of new signing Mathias Rojas, who smacked in a long-range strike with his left foot.
The others? Sublime.
Messi scored after 49 minutes to put his team 2-1 up, then got down to the business of take over the game like an All-Pro quarterback matched up against high schoolers.
Inter's third was a work of art, Messi sending a pass to Rojas that bypassed two Red Bulls defenders by inches, and wrong-footed everybody except the recipient.
Next was a lovely, curved cross for Suarez, again threading the needle of a packed penalty area. Then a series of give-and-go to provide Suarez once more. Then, finally, a pace-shifting ball with the outside of his left that drew in goalkeeper Carlos Coronel, allowing Suarez to sneak around him and score again.
On Monday, Messi was named MLS Player of the Matchday for the third time in four weeks, to go alongside his Player of the Month award. Inter, at the early point of the campaign, looks like a puzzle for which there may be no solution.
All of which is to say it might be time to reevaluate your spectatorial priorities.
When Messi decides his focus is going to be to set up others, it is breathtaking. It is tricky and trigonometry and seeing the game in a whole different way. The sport is slower for Messi than for everyone else, a tapestry exclusive to his mind.
Obviously, unless its your hometown team that he's scoring against, or perhaps even if it is, no one is going to say no to a Messi goal.
But when he becomes the provider-in-chief, for Inter or for Argentina, it's a different kind of treat.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.
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