Barcelona have endured a bitter taste of what life may be like once the immortal Lionel Messi hangs up his boots in the early stages of this season.
Though there has been no shortage of goals in their four league matches so far, scoring five without their talisman on two separate occasions, without the sprinkling of magic dust he brings to the table, they have failed to overcome the likes of Athletic Bilbao and CD Osasuna.
Thankfully for the La Liga champions, then, the wait is over, as their captain finally returned to competitive action for the first time since May.
The Argentine was thrown on with half an hour to go of their Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund, straight after Marc-Andre ter Stegen sprung to his left to deny Marco Reus opening the scoring from the penalty spot.
Replacing 16-year-old enigma Ansu Fati, he received a huge ovation from the section of Barcelona supporters who made the trip to Germany, as those in the home ranks watched through their fingers in anticipation of what he may conjure up.
Even the best ever is allowed an off-day, however, especially after months on end without kicking a ball.
'Rusty' would be the way to describe the performance of the man who netted 51 goals in 50 appearances for the Spanish champions last season, as he failed to inspire his side to victory - having to settle for a 0-0 draw in Germany.
He'll need to up his game as he looks to claw back Liverpool and former Celtic star Virgil van Dijk in the race for Ballon d'Or, as the Anfield defender has emerged as favourite after clinching the UEFA Player of the Year award last month.
His side fell to a 2-0 defeat in Napoli, however, as both of last season's headline semi-finalists endured stunted starts to their European campaigns.
