Lionel Messi made history on Wednesday with his hat-trick in Barcelona’s 4-1 win over Malaga taking him beyond Gerd Muller’s 67-goal European season record.
Messi’s third goal in the victory took his season tally to 68 goals, and while it didn’t prevent Real Madrid from winning La Liga, or Pep Guardiola from leaving Barcelona, it’s still one hell of an achievement.
Muller had held his record for 39 years, before the Argentine maestro’s dominant season.
Messi’s hat-trick has also taken him to a record 46 goals for the La Liga season, three ahead of rival Cristiano Ronaldo with two games to play in the race for the Pichichi Trophy which the latter won last term but not the title.
Interestingly, Dutch legend Johan Cruyff said this week he believes Messi is better than Ronaldo.
“Messi or Cristiano? Messi, because he’s in love with the ball. He’s pure technique and he’s a good kid,” Cruyff told Cadena COPE.
The funny thing is, the season isn’t over yet for Messi, with two league games to play plus a Copa del Rey final.