Barcelona took another step towards regaining the La Liga title lost to Real Madrid last season by battering Girona this evening.
Ernesto Valverde’s side shockingly fell behind before a Messi brace, Luis Suarez hat-trick and Philippe Coutinho strike helped them recover.
And, for Lionel Messi in particular, the day will make for particularly satisfying reading.
The Argentina international made history with Girona becoming the 36th team to be on the receiving end of a Messi masterclass.
The 30-year-old has now scored against more teams in the history of the division.
His brace takes him above Real Madrid legend Raul and Athletic Bilbao veteran Aritz Aduriz on 35 each.
Messi’s fierce rival Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, has scored against 33 different Spanish teams during his nine years in the capital.
But Messi also broke another record during the Nou Camp drubbing.
The forward provided the assist for Suarez’s hat-trick goal.
And that means he has now registered a huge 148 assists during his time at Barcelona.
It was, however, a bittersweet day for the Argentinean.
The player’s grandfather, Antonio, passed away in Argentina before the match.
And his outstanding display will no doubt be a tribute to him.
Antonio took Messi to football when the Barcelona star was young and he has contributed to his grandson becoming one of the best footballers of all time.
