“With Barcelona already ahead in Athens, Messi latches onto Adriano’s pass to double the lead against Panathinaikos and further underline his dominant Champions League group-stage form, pushing his career tally to 165 goals and 31 in the competition.”
In the middle of a red‑hot Champions League scoring streak, Messi controls this group game in Athens with a goal and a 9.2 MOTM display, dictating Barça’s attack over 90 minutes despite a low-xG shooting night.
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.
In a Champions League quarter-final with Barcelona trailing Arsenal, Messi’s first strike instantly drags Barça level and ignites the four-goal masterclass that turns this night into his iconic Camp Nou ‘poker’, capped as career goal No.129 and his 22nd in the competition.