On September 18th 2018, Barcelona thrashed Dutch Champions PSV Eindhoven in their opening Champions League group game.

Lionel Messi broke a tie with Cristiano Ronaldo and became the UEFA Champions League’s most prolific goalscorer in terms of the number of hat-tricks scored.

The maestro has scored more hat-tricks than any other player in Champions League/European Cup history and as many Champions League goals as PSV.

La Pulga scored eight direct free-kicks in 2018 – the most he has netted in a calendar year and he is the second player in the Champions League history to score in 14 consecutive seasons, after Raul Gonzalez.

And finally Lionel Messi has scored against 30 different Champions League sides – only Raul (33) and Cristiano Ronaldo (32) have scored against more different opponents.

Here we look at all of Lionel’s Messi’s 8 hat-tricks in the Champions League.

FC Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal, Camp Nou, QF 2nd leg 2009/2010

Lionel Messi produced a virtuoso performance putting an end to Arsenal’s Champions League dreams and helped secure a semi-final berth for Barcelona winning the tie 6-3 on aggregate. The prolific Argentine scored a hat-trick of the highest quality in the space of 21 first-half minutes and added a fourth to his tally in the second half. The highlight was his third goal beating Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia with a sublime chip.

FC Barcelona 4-0 Viktoria Plzen, Camp Nou, Group Stage, 2011/2012

In a season where Leo Messi ended up the top-scorer in the Champions League with 14 goals, it is only fitting that it included a hat-trick from the diminutive Argentine. His first goal came from a penalty, but more importantly, it marked his 200th goal for Barcelona. The victory ensured Barcelona’s passage to the Round of 16 and also marked Pep Guardiola’s 200th game as manager of Barcelona.

FC Barcelona 7-1 Bayer Leverkusen, Camp Nou, 2nd leg, Round of 16, 2011/2012

Lionel Messi became the first ever player to score five goals in a single Champions League game as the Catalans trounced Bayer Leverkusen 8-1. The victory ensured their passage to the quarter-finals with a thumping 10-2 aggregate. Messi scored twice in the first half and added another 3 goals in the second half. An astute long ball from Xavi Hernandez to set-up Messi who produced a delightful lob to catch the Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno off-guard was a treat to watch.

Barcelona 4-0 Ajax, Camp Nou, Group Stage, 2013/2014

Facing Ajax at home, Barcelona inspired by another Lionel Messi classic emerged victorious in a commanding manner beating their opponents 4-0. On a night when Messi could have ended up with 5 or even 6 goals, ”La Pulga” scored a deft free-kick from just outside the box.