“With Barcelona wobbling in a tense league run-in, Messi restores a 2–1 lead over Valencia from Jordi Alba’s pass, and the strike quietly doubles as the 500th goal of his professional career.”
Messi’s close-range finish brings up his 500th career goal in a relentless, all-action display against Valencia, as he drives Barcelona’s attack for 90 minutes and still takes Man of the Match despite the defeat.
Against Atlético’s packed defence at 0–0, Messi takes Suárez’s layoff on the edge of the box and, almost side-on to goal, threads a low left-foot shot precisely inside the far post for a stoppage-time winner and his 428th La Liga goal.
From a tight central pocket against Sevilla’s packed line, Messi calmly side-foots a low left-foot finish just inside the post to crack open the 0-0 and set Barcelona’s 5–0 rout in motion, his 94th La Liga goal and eventual winner.
From a central position just inside the area, Messi calmly threads a low left-footed strike through a crowd to restore Barcelona’s lead over Real Sociedad, his composed finish standing out as the eventual winning goal and his 170th in La Liga.
From just inside the box, Messi stands almost square to goal and threads a low left‑footed strike through a crowd into the far corner to finally break Alavés’ resistance, a deadlock‑breaker that also marks his 350th La Liga goal.