“In the Copa del Rey final, Messi caps Barcelona’s dominance by finishing off Jordi Alba’s assist for the fourth against Athletic Club, sealing the trophy with his second of the night and pushing his career tally to 736 goals.”
Messi’s second-half brace in the Copa del Rey final rips open Athletic Club, turning a tense showpiece into a coronation and delivering another major trophy at age 33 after Barça had come into the game off a defeat.
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.