“Suárez’s deft layoff at the edge of the box lets Messi calmly guide a low right-foot finish across the keeper from a tight central pocket, sealing his hat-trick and reaching 103 Champions League goals.”
Messi opens Barcelona’s Champions League campaign with a ruthless hat-trick against PSV, including a trademark free-kick, dictating the game for 90 minutes as undisputed man of the match.
With Barcelona pegged back at 1–1 in a Champions League quarter-final, Messi latches onto Pedro’s assist to restore the lead against Arsenal, the second act of a four-goal masterclass that drives him toward career goal 130.
Against familiar qualifiers rivals Bolivia, Messi caps a 10/10 man-of-the-match performance by finishing Palacios’ pass for Argentina’s fifth, completing his hat-trick and pushing his World Cup Qualifiers tally to 33 and overall career total to 845.
Against Bolivia in World Cup qualifying, Messi’s second of the night turns a narrow 1–0 lead into a commanding 2–0 cushion, doubling Argentina’s control while quietly marking his 750th career goal and 25th strike in World Cup qualifiers.
Dani Alves threads the assist for Messi to stretch Barcelona’s lead over APOEL to 3–0 in a dominant Champions League group display, completing the hat-trick and pushing him to 73 goals in the competition and 415 in his career.