“In a tense Champions League quarter-final at 0–0 against PSG, Messi latches onto Dani Alves’ defence-splitting pass to break the deadlock, opening the scoring on the night and pushing his career tally to 342 goals, including 59 in the competition.”
In a tense Champions League quarter-final first leg, Messi scores the opener and dictates play with near-perfect passing before injury forces him off at half-time, underlining how central he is to Barcelona’s knockout hopes even in just 45 minutes.
Trailing 2–0 in the Copa del Rey final, Messi drags Barcelona back into contention against Valencia with a late strike that caps a 12-shot, Man-of-the-Match performance and becomes his 51st goal of the season and 51st in the competition.
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.
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.
Against Liverpool in a Champions League semi-final, Messi’s late third for Barcelona turns a tight 2–0 into a daunting 3–0 cushion and also marks his 600th goal for the club, a mythic milestone reached on one of Europe’s biggest stages.