Barcelona coach Valverde hails superstar Messi after Argentine scores 35th hat-trick to break Ronaldo's La Liga record in 5-2 win over Mallorca
Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring against Mallorca during their La Liga tie on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Madrid: Lionel Messi broke yet another record by hitting his 35th La Liga hat-trick on Saturday as Barcelona thrashed Real Mallorca 5-2 to keep pace with Real Madrid at the top of the table.
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A trio of vintage Messi finishes contributed to five stunning Barca goals, the best of them arguably belonging to Luis Suarez, whose brilliant backheel capped a free-flowing move, involving seven different players.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi displays his sixth Ballon d'Or at the Camp Nou on Saturday. Pic/AFP
"I knew I had a little gap, my last resort was to try a backheel," said Suarez. "I was surprised," added Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde. "It was an extraordinary goal." But at the end of a week in which Messi claimed a record sixth Ballon d'Or, it was the Argentine etching his name into the history books again after pulling clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's 34 La Liga trebles to stand alone.
"Unbelievable," said Valverde. "It was a celebration of the Ballon d'Or." The efforts of Messi and Suarez overshadowed Antoine Griezmann's opener but that was impressive too, the Frenchman applying a sumptuous chip after being assisted by his own goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
An exhibition of creativity at Camp Nou allowed for the occasional lapse in defence and Mallorca's Ante Budimir twice reduced the deficit to 2-1 and 4-2, even if a comeback never looked likely. Instead, Messi underlined his status as the world's finest footballer with another sublime performance, instant evidence for why he was presented with his latest Ballon d'Or trophy on the pitch before kick-off.
Messi now has 12 goals this season, the highest in the division and one ahead of Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, who had scored one and set up another in an equally comfortable 2-0 victory over Espanyol a few hours earlier.
It means Madrid and Barcelona are back level on points at the top of the table, with Barca ahead on goal difference. Sevilla, in third, are four points further back. Benzema's own irresistible form in parallel with Messi adds an intriguing sub-plot to the upcoming Clasico on December 18, which looks increasingly likely to decide who will sit first over the Christmas break.
12
No. of La Liga goals Lionel Messi has scored for Barcelona this season
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