On Tuesday evening Cristiano Ronaldo made headlines around the world by scoring a hatrick for Real Madrid in their first Champion League match of the 2013/14 season. Last night Lionel Messi matched the feat and set a record in the process.
In Barcelona's 4 - 0 demolition of Ajax at the Nou Camp, Lionel scored the first two and final goals. Gerard Pique quipped in with a header from a subliminal Neymar cross.
The hatrick last night means that Lionel Messi is the only man to score four hatricks in the Champions League. Also, he drew closer to Raul's goal-scoring record in the competition - trailing the Spaniard by just nine goals now.
It was the first time in their entire history that Barcelona had played Ajax competitively - and it was a night the Dutch club will try to forget.
