“In his 700th senior appearance, Messi breaks the deadlock in the Copa del Rey final against Alavés after combining with Neymar, setting Barcelona on their way to the trophy and adding yet another landmark goal to his haul.”
In his 700th senior appearance, Messi tears open the Copa del Rey final by scoring a trademark opener and then slipping the killer assist to restore Barça’s lead, dictating a trophy-winning performance from start to finish.
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.
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.
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.