“With Barcelona still locked at 0–0 in this Copa del Rey knockout tie, Messi latches onto Jordi Alba’s early cutback to break the deadlock and set the tone for a 5–0 rout, adding another strike to his vast cup tally on the way to goal No. 589 of his career.”
Messi racks up two goals and a slick assist inside 58 minutes to rip open Celta Vigo in a Copa del Rey Round of 16 tie, effectively killing the contest before the hour mark and underlining his ruthless influence in knockout football.
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.
Against Bayern Munich in a tense Champions League semi-final locked at 0–0, Messi finally breaks the deadlock from a Dani Alves assist, igniting Barcelona’s 3–0 first-leg win and pushing his career tally to 451 goals.