Many of the fans who drooled over yet another man-of-the-match performance from Lionel Messi in Barcelona's 6-2 win versus Real Betis at the Camp Nou on Saturday are called socios -- socis in Catalan.
It's the way in which the Spanish describe paid-up members of an organization. Those who might join a health club, for example, or invest in a business or, in this case, pay to own a tiny -- but meaningful -- "share" of FC Barcelona.
Socio isn't a word we use in English, but we know the family: society, sociable, associate. These are words that express a facility to share, join, build or link.
Watching Messi give footballing life to Arda Turan, as Betis were routed to the extent that their ultra-competitive manager, Gus Poyet, admitted part of him admired the brilliance of the destruction, it occurred just what a socio Barca's greatest player is.
For rivals of the club, or for those who wish Cristiano Ronaldo to win a fourth Ballon d'Or, there have been warning signs over the past few matches.
Since Turan debuted for the Spanish champions, he's looked less than the sum of the parts.
At Atletico Madrid, his languid, Dimitar Berbatov-esque style was ultra-necessary because the rest of the team were busy bees. While they were closing, harassing, running, jumping, tackling and pressing, Turan was the filigree.
The fact that he's not the most diligent, nor athletically quick, was relegated by the fact that he could change a game, beat a man one-on-one and conjure a special pass in a tight area.
He wasn't quite alone in that Atleti side, but he was the master amongst apprentices.
At Barcelona, in skill terms, that's far from the case. There, his lack of endeavour, his habit of trotting around the pitch, backside stuck out behind him and elbows moving unlike pistons, jars. Yet it's been clear for some time that Messi likes him. At training Turan is one of the closest to breaking into the trident of socios: Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. Laughing with them, chatting with them; he's accepted.
Kudos to Barca manager Luis Enrique, who, while possibly driven to distraction by Turan's ambling style, has seen how valuable it is when Messi strikes up a partnership; when he's sociable, associating. When society's intelligent rules are constructed on the pitch.
It was most definitely the case with Dani Alves; Messi adored the characterful Brazilian as a teammate.
Sometimes they'd play one-twos -- give-and-gos; call them what you will -- passes up and down the right side of the pitch and it was a treat of any game to see Messi drawing near to Alves, who'd be hemmed-in on the touchline.
To the uneducated observer it might have looked like the two men just wanted to indulge themselves in some tight-area futsal in the middle of a big game.
Instead, they were counting on the fact that up to four or five opponents would be dragged toward them to try and close down or even steal possession, which meant that, if Messi and Alves withstood the pressure then there'd be big, glorious space waiting for them via which a goal could be created.
Alves, having given Messi more goal assists than anyone else, is now at Juventus. One year earlier, Xavi Hernandez, another with whom Messi associated sociably, also left for a different adventure.
Messi still has Neymar and Suarez on his wavelength -- or is it a direct link by extra-sensory-perception? -- and is in tune with Andres Iniesta and new signing Denis Suarez.
Meanwhile, the rest of Barcelona's team know that, when the magician demands the ball, he's to be given it.
But judging by the way in which Messi and Turan are serving each other with goals or chances, there's something intuitive, something they enjoy, something powerful brewing between the Argentinian and the Turk.
A mini-society; they are becoming socios.
That's good news for Luis Enrique and bad news for Barcelona's rivals.
Real Madrid's recycling project
Not for the first time, Real Madrid fascinate me.
Six of the 14 players they used in their clinical, 3-0 destruction of Real Sociedad were either loaned out and then called back or sold and bought back more expensively: Kiko Casilla, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vasquez were all at Espanyol, while Dani Carvajal went to Bayer Leverkusen, Casemiro played for Porto and Alvaro Morata was at Juventus.
Right now, Madrid have an exceptional team spirit. Their players are working for each other, covering, and prompting; the white shirts have a blue-collar attitude and it's terrific to see.
The trait began last season when they recovered from 2-0 down in the Champions League quarterfinal to beat Wolfsburg, won the Camp Nou Clasico after going behind and outlasted Atletico in the Champions League final.
Earlier this month, the UEFA Super Cup was won after Madrid were 2-1 down with seconds left in normal time.
No game is ever lost to this group. Not in their minds, at least.
It'd be easy to attribute this solely to Zinedine Zidane. Since he took charge as manager the change in attitude, intensity, enjoyment and competitive spirit has been fantastic to witness.
I wonder, however, what role it plays when a footballer is either sold or loaned away from the club where he yearns to succeed and is then given a second chance? Does it add hunger, aggression and a feeling that says "I'm not going to let that happen to me again?"
It's fascinating that, although Barcelona needed to reacquire Jordi Alba, Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique in the past, they've largely gone in just the other direction, with a firm promotion path from youth set-up to first team making a virtue of continuity.
Madrid, by contrast, seem to have discovered that it's quite feasible to use "tough love" to hone and fine tune a player elsewhere, until he's ready to succeed back at base.
All hail Gareth
Already the questions have begun as to whether this can be the benchmark season for Gareth Bale at Real Madrid.
Personally, I believe his contribution thus far has been underrated by many. But 19 goals in his last 17 league games, plus a terrific summer with Wales, seems to have upped people's attention.
The demand seems to be that Bale acquire legend status by eclipsing Messi and Ronaldo for a season and brands his name all over a particular trophy.
Given that Bale himself has stated that he wants to reach the status of the greatest player in the world and to win the Ballon D'Or, this must be a question which is also on his mind.
Objectively, three things need to happen.
First, the Welshman must be more successful in avoiding injury. Last season he only managed the 14th-most league minutes among Madrid's squad and, just like in his first year with the club, there were 10 players who started more games than him. In the last three league seasons, Ronaldo has played almost 2500 more Liga minutes than the Welshman.
Second, Bale needs to help author a title win. Greatness stems not only from Champions League victories, but also getting rid of Madrid's tag of only having won La Liga once since 2008.
Third, his club must recognise the Wales phenomenon from the European Championship. In France, Bale got support, as players around him worked for him and looked to give him the ball.
It was almost identical to what Ronaldo has enjoyed for almost his entire reign at the Bernabeu. Ronaldo doesn't need to be unseated for Bale to achieve true greatness; there simply needs to be a redefining of the relationship.
There needs to be an acceptance that Bale is now, at least, of equal importance to the Portuguese in competitive and trophy-winning terms. And, given their ages -- Ronaldo is 31 and Bale 27 -- that the younger man's value to the club is set to increase.
If Ronaldo accepts all this, then Bale is set fair. If not, trouble looms.