Lionel Messi broke yet another record by hitting his 35th La Liga hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed Real Mallorca 5-2 to keep pace with Real Madrid at the top of the table.
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.
“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.
