River Plate 0-3 Barcelona: Luis Suarez at the double after Lionel Messi opener to claim record third FIFA Club World Cup for Barca

Barcelona started the year in 'crisis' but end it as champions of the world. 

Many lessons can be learned from this team. The most obvious is not to be too quick to judge.

A humiliating defeat by David Moyes' Real Sociedad put Luis Enrique on the brink of the sack in January, having put Lionel Messi and Neymar on the bench after their Christmas break. 

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta holds his record third Club World Cup after his side's victory over River Plate in Yokohama Japan

Barcelona goalscorers Luis Suarez (centre) and Lionel Messi (right) celebrate with Neymar (left) during their 3-0 win over River Plate

Suarez (centre) won the gold ball, Messi (left) won the silver ball and Andres Iniesta (right) won the bronze ball for their performances

Messi (second from left) is mobbed by his Barcelona team-mates after giving them the lead against River Plate on Sunday

Messi poked the ball past River Plate goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero to give Barcelona the lead after Neymar had headed the ball down

The Argentine was the fastest to react in the box, allowing the ball to run across his body before scoring with the outside of his left boot

Messi's fifth Club World Cup goal brought him level with Cesar Delgado as the joint top scorer in the history of the competition

Messi plays it cool after scoring the opener against Barcelona's Argentinian opponents in Japan

Almost symbolically of how things have changed, Messi and Neymar were declared fit just 90 minutes before kick-off, and the Ballon d'Or nominated team-mates ran the show to seal Barcelona's record third Club World Cup triumph. 

Not forgetting the third ‘amigo’, of course, with Luis Suarez’s brutal form in front of goal continuing. The Uruguayan struck twice to put the game beyond River Plate, his 17th goal in 11 games, after Messi had broken the deadlock.

This is their fifth trophy of the year, adding to their treble and UEFA Super Cup, just one short of the sextuple Pep Guardiola achieved, thanks to defeat by Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup.

Along with Suarez, whose hat-trick fired them into the final past Guangzhou Evergrande, Messi and Neymar comprise what is arguably the best strike-force in football history. It is definitely Barcelona’s best, with the team racking up a record 176 goals in 2015, bettering the 175 they managed in 2012.

Barcelona's opener was a work of art, created by Messi and Neymar. The Brazilian picked up the ball on the left and jinked past his man, feeding Messi. He held off one challenge, keeping his balance and driving forward, before spreading it to Alves on the right.

Suarez made it 2-0 to the La Liga and Champions League winners with 49 minutes played with a well placed shot

Suarez fired the ball through the legs of Barovero in the River goal after latching onto a through ball from Sergio Busquets 

The Uruguayan celebrates after putting Barcelona two up with his fourth goal of this FIFA Club World Cup shortly after half time

Barcelona's goalscorers Messi and Suarez celebrate going two goals ahead in Japan shortly after half time

Suarez made it 3-0 with 68 minutes played when he finished off Neymar's cross with a well placed header into the top corner

The full-back looped a long ball to the back post and Neymar was there, heading the ball down to Messi. He controlled with one touch - it struck his upper arm - and then hooked it home with a second.

It broke River Plate's resistance, which had been staunch until then, with Luis Enrique and Barcelona's substitutes exploding in delight, running off the bench. Perhaps there was some relief there—the fine goalkeeping of Marcelo Barovero had kept the Catalans at bay until that point.

He denied Messi twice, once a weak shot from inside the box, the second a free-kick which needed to be tipped wide. He denied Alves, parrying the defender’s volley. And he denied Neymar, rushing off his line to hack the ball away after Messi had clipped it over the defence for his team-mate.

But Barovero, who had been the man of the match for his side in the semi-final against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, could do nothing about the goal. And not long after the interval came the second, this time finished by Suarez.

Suarez is congratulated by his team-mates after scoring his fifth goal of the tournament and joining Messi as its all-time leading scorer

Barcelona's stars celebrate together after Suarez secures the Club World Cup title with his side's third goal of the game

Messi is challenged from behind by River Plate's on-loan Atletico Madrid midfielder Matias Kranevitter in the Club World Cup final

Sergio Busquets clipped a magnificent ball through the defence for the Uruguayan, who raced into the box and fired home. From here on out, it was a walk for Barcelona, with River supporters dominating in the stands while their team was destroyed on the pitch.

Slack finishing from Messi saw Barcelona waste two golden opportunities, before Neymar carved out Suarez’s second goal with a perfect cross from the left. It landed on his team-mates head, nestling in the back of the net, never giving Barovero the slightest chance of intercepting it.

Neymar didn’t get the goal he craved, to celebrate his first shortlisting for the Ballon d’Or, but he was the most dynamic player on the pitch, bamboozling River Plate with his quick feet. Like in La Liga, the only way to stop him was to hack at his ankles, a duty which the Argentines took to with panache.

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta falls to the ground in agony after being fouled by River midfielder Leonardo Ponzio

Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano (left) goes in for a challenge with River's Ponzio during the Club World Cup final

Neymar is fouled by River defender Gabriel Mercado as the Brazilian forward looks to control the ball

At the other end there was no joy for River, who were desperately seeking a goal to give the 20,000 travelling fans something to savour on their 18,000 mile trip back to Buenos Aires.

They kept singing until the end, loud and proud, but Claudio Bravo was not planning on relinquishing his clean sheet.

The Chilean made a stupendous save from substitute Gonzalo Martinez, tipping his piledriver on to the post and out. No dice. No pity. No mercy. This Barcelona team will slice you up and keep coming back for more.

They return to Catalonia as world champions and are set to be bolstered by Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal, who can be registered after the FIFA ban on Barcelona registering players expires in January.

The question is, with the Messi-Neymar-Suarez combo somehow reaching new levels of skill and synchronisation, and the team behind them so well-oiled, can anyone stop them?

It is not such a stretch to imagine Barcelona being back in Japan this time next year – perhaps going for that second sextuple after all.