“With Barcelona still locked at 0–0, Messi calmly sends the keeper the wrong way from the spot to break the deadlock and begin a hat-trick night, taking him to 678 career goals and 425 in La Liga.”
Messi’s hat-trick comes entirely from dead balls—two sublime free kicks and a penalty—turning a routine league night against Celta into one of his most iconic set-piece clinics during his 2019 hot streak.
In a frantic El Clásico at 3–3, Messi calmly pauses on the spot, waits for López to commit, then rolls the late penalty back across him to complete his hat-trick and restore Barça’s lead, sealing La Liga goal number 236 and career strike 384 under maximum pressure.
Retaking the lead from the spot at 1–1 against Osasuna, Messi calmly sends the goalkeeper the wrong way under no margin for error, a routine-looking penalty that in fact seals his 200th La Liga goal and underlines a four-goal masterclass.
In a frantic El Clásico with Barcelona trailing 3–2 at the Bernabéu, Messi calmly sends Diego López the wrong way from the spot to drag his team level and move closer to a historic hat-trick and his 235th La Liga goal.
With Málaga having just equalised, Messi calmly sends the keeper the wrong way from the spot to restore Barça’s lead and set up yet another hat-trick night, pushing him to a staggering 71 goals for the season and 268 in his career.