Lionel Messi thanked past and present teammates and coaches on Saturday, after becoming La Liga’s all-time leading goalscorer when he netted a hat-trick in Barcelona’s 5-1 demolition of Sevilla on Saturday.
The 27-year-old Argentine’s opener brought him level with Telmo Zarra on 251 goals in his 289th appearance in Spain’s top flight.
The effort was canceled out by a Jordi Alba own-goal in the 47th minute, before Neymar headed in a Xavi free-kick two minutes later.
Photo: Reuters
Luis Suarez then set up Ivan Rakitic to nod Barca’s third in the 65th minute and Messi completed his 30th career treble with goals in the 72nd and 78th to bring his total to a staggering 253.
“When I scored this goal, I couldn’t imagine I could break any record, let alone this one previously held by the great Telmo Zarra,” he wrote on Facebook alongside a video of his first league goal on May 1, 2005. “I was only able to achieve this because of the support I have had from so many people during my time here and I would like to dedicate this achievement to you all.”
Barcelona boss Luis Enrique has only been coaching the four-time FIFA World Player of the Year for a matter of months, but already thinks he will be remembered as the best of all time.
“He is a unique and unrepeatable player,” said Enrique, who hailed his side’s display against Sevilla as one of the best in his tenure so far. “I can’t compare him to any other player I have seen before and I have seen plenty.”
Enrique also batted away suggestions that Messi’s future may lie away from the Camp Nou after comments he made in the past week.
Messi refused to rule out a move before the end of his career, despite signing a new four-year deal with the Catalan giants in May.
“Football is full of unexpected twists and turns,” Messi told Argentine newspaper Ole.
However, Enrique’s immediate focus is on molding his star front three of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez to pose a significant title challenge to the in-form Real Madrid.
Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu also dismissed rumors over his prized asset’s future, claiming it was an ongoing investigation for tax fraud that had unsettled the player rather than anything on the field.
Messi and his father have been accused of not paying 4.16 million euros (US$5.26 million) in tax on earnings from the player’s image rights from 2007 to 2009 through the creation of a web of shell companies in Belize and Uruguay.
Barca now sit two points behind leaders Real Madrid.
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