“Thiago Almada’s pass sets up Messi to cap a dominant win for reigning world champions Argentina over Venezuela in World Cup qualifying, his late third sealing a brace and pushing him to an incredible 36 goals in these qualifiers and 879 in his career.”
A late-career qualifying brace from 38-year-old Messi settles Argentina’s response to a previous defeat, as he dominates Venezuela for 90 minutes and drags the world champions back on track in their 2026 World Cup campaign.
Against Liverpool in a Champions League semi-final, Messi’s late third for Barcelona turns a tight 2–0 into a daunting 3–0 cushion and also marks his 600th goal for the club, a mythic milestone reached on one of Europe’s biggest stages.
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.
Nico Paz’s late assist in a 6–0 rout of Bolivia caps a vintage Argentina masterclass, as Messi completes a hat-trick in World Cup qualifying and pushes his career tally to 846 goals, 25 for the season and 34 in these qualifiers.