“With Barcelona already ahead in a Champions League knockout tie, Messi doubles the lead against Napoli to tighten Barça’s grip on the Round of 16 and push his personal tally to an astounding 115 goals in the competition and 704 in his career.”
In a high-pressure Champions League knockout tie, Messi dominates Napoli over 90 minutes with a trademark solo goal and all-round control, driving Barcelona into the quarter-finals at age 33.
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.