• La Liga

Hat-trick hero Messi breaks Barca record in 7-0 rout

ESPN staff
March 16, 2014
Lionel Messi broke the Barcelona record in style © AP
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Barcelona forward Lionel Messi scored a hat trick in the 7-0 rout of Osasuna to overtake Paulino Alcantara's record as the highest goalscorer in Barcelona history, with the Argentine now on 371 goals in all competitions.

Paulino's record had stood for 87 years, as he scored 369 goals in 357 official and friendly matches as a Barca player between 1912 and 1927.

Messi, still only 26, overtook the record in 95 more games but is tipped to smash it during the rest of his career. His next task is to take on the all-time Clasico goalscoring record - which stands at 19 by Alfredo Di Stefano; one more than Messi's 18 - and could be broken next weekend when Barcelona take on Real Madrid.

He is also targeting the all-time Champions League goalscoring record which stands at 71 from Raul Gonzalez; Messi has 67 currently.

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