“Against Haiti in a low-pressure friendly, Messi calmly sends the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot to break the deadlock, the opener setting him on his way to a hat-trick and pushing him toward another 50-goal season with career strike number 614.”
Messi reaches the 250-assist mark of his career by running the game against Haiti, capping a full 90 minutes with a hat-trick and a laid-on goal as he tunes up Argentina’s attack before the World Cup.
With Barcelona already ahead in this Copa del Rey knockout tie, Messi calmly converts from the spot to double the lead against Atlético Madrid and seal both the win and his hat-trick, bringing up career goal No.70 in the process.
At 0–0 in a tight Champions League group tie against Viktoria Plzeň, Messi calmly sends the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot to break the deadlock, a routine-looking penalty that also nudges him closer to his 200th Barcelona goal and marks his 40th in the competition.
Completing his 20th career hat-trick, Messi calmly sends the second penalty of the night past Málaga’s keeper to stretch Barcelona’s lead to 3–1, turning what should be a rare treble into a routine step on the way to career goal 269 and his 72nd of the season.
Against Estonia in a low-key friendly, Messi calmly sends the goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot to break the deadlock and begin the avalanche that leads to his five-goal haul and pushes him toward 1100 career goal contributions.