Lionel Messi scored a record eighth Champions League hattrick as Barcelona got their European campaign off to a flyer.
The Argentinian boosted his overall tally to 103 goals in Tuesday’s 4-0 win over PSV Eindhoven, with Ousmane Dembele also hitting the back of the net as Barca ended with 10 men after Samuel Umtiti was sent off.
The Spanish champions’ all-time top scorer Messi broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute with an immaculate free kick.
Barca demonstrated the gulf in class as the second half as Dembele curled home a stunner in 75th.
Messi got his second two minutes later when he turned Ivan Rakitic’s dinked pass into the net with a flick of his boot.
The mood was briefly dampened when Barca’s France defender Umtiti was dismissed in the 79th for a second yellow card before Messi completed his treble.
The strike completed eight hattrick in Europe’s top competition for Messi, one more than rival Cristiano Ronaldo who will make his Juventus Champions League debut last night.
PSV boss Mark van Bommel, who was Messi’s teammate when the Catalans won the 2006 European Cup, can’t believe Messi doesn’t receive the Ballon dOr every year after missing out on the shortlist this term.
He says of the five-time World Player of the Year: “For me he’s the best player in the world and it’s strange to me he doesn’t win the Ballon d’Or every single year.”