Not wanting to be outdone by Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat trick earlier in the day, Lionel Messi scored four goals and passed the 200-mark in the Spanish league. It only took Messi two of those goals to help Barcelona win the 5-1 match against Osasuna on Sunday night.
The four goals marked the 22nd hat trick for Barcelona and the fifth game in a row with four or more goals scored. With his four goals, Messi became the youngest player in La Liga history to rack up 200 goals.
Messi is also the eights player to reach 200. According to ESPN , the other players to reach the milestone include Telmo Zarra (251), Hugo Sanchez (234), Raul Gonzalez (228), Alfredo di Stefano (227), Cesar Rodriguez (223), Quini (219) and Pahino (210).
Lionel Messi’s 33 goals in La Liga this season gives him a total of 44 goals on the season.
Messi’s four goals came just after Cristiano Ronaldo racked up his 20th career hat trick in Real Madrid’s 4-0 win over Getafe .
The four goals push Barcelona to 19-1-1 with an 11-point lead over second-place Atletico Madrid (15-3-2). In third place is Real Madrid with a 15-point deficit and a 13-4-4 record.
Barcelona will take on Real Madrid on Wednesday during the Copa del Rey semifinals.
In an interview with Clarin Daily on Sunday, Messi revealed:
“In everything we do in life we try to improve on all fronts and in football I am no exception.”
That improvement makes soccer’s biggest star an even bigger threat as his career and the season progresses.
[Image via Natursports / Shutterstock.com ]