“In a Copa del Rey final already tilting Barcelona’s way, Jordi Alba’s cut-back finds Messi to double the lead over Sevilla and put the trophy firmly within reach, adding another strike to his vast cup tally with career goal number 608.”
In the Copa del Rey final, Messi orchestrates Barcelona’s demolition of Sevilla with a goal and two assists, dictating the entire attacking rhythm on the way to a flawless 10/10 man-of-the-match display.
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.