Lionel Messi was simply on fire against Valladolid as he banged in two goals for Barcelona and also added two assists, and in doing so, surpassed Cristiano Ronaldo in a club goal scoring record.
Messi has now scored 608 goals for Barcelona, while Ronaldo remains on 606, which means the Argentine now takes over in the all time club career goals tally with 119 matches lesser than the Portuguese forward.
There was plenty of class on show from the exceptional Messi against Valladolid, as he also managed to score his fiftieth free-kick in a truly outstanding career for both club and country.
The little maestro also scored his 100th goal in Barcelona colours under current manager Ernesto Valverde, who had nothing but admiration for the superstar after the game.
“What can I say?” said Valverde. “Every time he gets it, something happens, good for us and bad for them.
“He has this talent that nobody else has. It’s not just that he makes one move and unbalances them, but he sees what nobody else sees.
“I’m convinced that what he sees, you can’t even see from the stands. And now he looks fresher. We’re happy because he’s doing well and because we’re enjoying how he plays.”
Even his teammates hailed his importance to the team after his milestone moment.
“It makes a difference with Leo giving all his quality. When he’s like this, the team feels it,” Arturo Vidal said to Movistar Plus.
“We see him every day, but he surprises us every day. Leo is from another planet.
“We are happy, we won and the team felt good. I have no words to talk about Leo. You have to take advantage of it and make the most of him.”