“With Barcelona still locked at 0–0 against Dynamo Kyiv, Messi breaks the group-stage deadlock in the Champions League, a routine-looking opener that secretly marks his 100th career goal and signals the arrival of a truly historic scoring machine at just 22.”
Messi reaches 100 career goals with a sharp Champions League strike against Dynamo Kyiv, leading the line at 22 and taking man of the match as Barcelona’s emerging talisman in the group stage.
Against a relentless Liverpool in a Champions League semi-final, Messi doubles Barcelona’s lead to tilt the tie decisively their way, and the strike also becomes his mythical 600th goal for the club.
In a tense El Clásico Champions League semi-final deadlocked at 0–0, Messi latches onto Afellay’s low cross to break Madrid’s resistance and give Barcelona a crucial first-leg lead, on the way to a brace and his 35th Champions League goal.
With Argentina trailing 1–0 in a must-win World Cup qualifier in Quito, Messi latches onto Ángel Di María’s early pass to level the score and ignite the hat-trick that drags his country back toward Russia, bringing up career goal 580 in the process.
With Argentina’s World Cup hopes hanging in the balance in Quito, Messi restores a 2–1 lead over Ecuador on the way to a rescue hat-trick, his second strike of the night and 20th goal in World Cup qualifiers.