“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.”
In a low-stakes friendly in Pamplona, Messi turned Estonia into the backdrop for one of his most ruthless goal-scoring displays, hitting five times to dominate the match entirely on his own. Beyond the scoreline, it felt like a statement from the newly crowned Copa América champion and soon-to-be World Cup winner that he could still summon a vintage, record-breaking performance whenever he wished.
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.
Completing his hat-trick from the spot in the 89th minute against Switzerland, Messi calmly sends the keeper the wrong way to seal a 3–1 win and close out career goal No. 245.