“At 90+4' with Barcelona level in Donetsk, Messi latches onto Xavi’s pass to snatch a stoppage-time Champions League winner, retaking the lead and bringing up his 10th goal in the competition.”
Coming off the bench for just 31 minutes, Messi strikes twice late in a tight Champions League group clash against Shakhtar, flipping the game and sealing a dramatic turnaround as a 21-year-old emerging star.
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’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.
Piqué’s stoppage-time assist caps a dominant night as Messi completes his hat-trick against Viktoria Plzeň, turning a routine group win into the moment he reaches 200 goals for Barcelona and 42 in the Champions League.
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.