Lionel Messi, Suarez, Neymar Hit 100 Goals, but Xavi Runs Barcelona vs. Getafe

There will be those who praise Lionel Messi for the calmness with which he chipped home his penalty after eight minutes, the inch-perfect ball to Luis Suarez that doubled the score, the ease with which he came inside and became a No. 10 after he started the game on the right, and his almost-ludicrously accurate finish for his second goal.

There will be those who praise Neymar for his ability to wait before finding the perfect the angle and pulling the trigger, his direct running which terrified Getafe and sticking to the task assigned to him on the left without letting ego have a say in his positioning.

There will be those who praise Suarez for his tenacity which forced Barcelona's early penalty, his acrobatic finish to extend his side's lead, his unselfish off- and on-ball work—creating two assists for his team-mates—and his rapier-like, swerving finish to complete his brace.

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And all the praise that these forwards receive for their performances against Getafe on Tuesday is deserved.

The praise they receive for managing to score 102 goals between them this season, despite Suarez being out suspended for nearly three months, is deserved. The praise they receive for becoming the best Barcelona strikeforce in history—beating Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Alexis Sanchez's goal tally of 101 in 2011-12—is thoroughly deserved.

But midfielder Xavi, too, deserves praise.

Luckily, they recognised that at the Camp Nou. As he came off just before the hour mark, Barcelona's supporters stood and applauded their captain. As well they might, as these fans know that the time left for them to show him their appreciation is ticking away.

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It seems likely that Xavi will leave the club at the end of the season, with Qatar and the U.S. as options, although nothing has been decided yet.

Playing like this, nobody would have any qualms about the Blaugrana legend staying on to complete the final year of his deal.

All six goals in their 6-0 thumping of Getafe were scored before he left the pitch, and that is no coincidence. He is the ultimate professional and exactly the type of player you need in games like these.

On paper, Barcelona were always going to beat Getafe at the Camp Nou, stretching their lead over Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table to five points.

In practice, it was this easy because of Xavi pulling the strings and the attackers slicing through Getafe like hot knives through butter.

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Not one to trouble the scoresheet particularly often, Xavi also got a goal to emphasise what an enjoyable time he was having out there. It was beautiful, arced over helpless goalkeeper Vicente Guaita and into the top right corner from over 20 yards out.

You could even argue that the goal distracted from the game he was having, the sort of game where a backwards flick to Suarez ends up being a brilliantly weighted assist for the goal of the night.

It's often sad when great players bow out below their best. While nobody is pretending that Xavi is at his peak right now, this performance—in the hour he was given—was one for the ages.

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If he does go at the end of the season, Xavi will play at the Camp Nou a maximum of four more times.

There are the league clashes against Real Sociedad and Deportivo de la Coruna, both of which are easy to anticipate him starting in.

Then there is the UEFA Champions League Semi-Final first leg with Bayern Munich, which you would imagine he would be on the bench for, with Ivan Rakitic preferred to add more physicality.

Finally, the Copa del Rey Final against Athletic Club on May 30. That seems the perfect stage for him to bow out on at the Camp Nou, and if he is going to play like this, you can bet your bottom dollar that manager Luis Enrique will give him a starting spot.