Messi top of Barca hotshots after hat-trick

Lionel Messi last night broke Barcelona’s all-time goalscoring record by netting a hat-trick in the club’s 5-3 Primera Division win over with Granada at the Nou Camp.

Messi equalled the mark of 232 official goals set by Cesar Rodriguez during the 1940s and ’50s when he slotted home Isaac Cuenca’s cross in the 17th minute. The Argentina international secured the record outright in the 68th minute when he lobbed the ball over Granada goalkeeper Julio Cesar.

The 24-year-old then completed his hat-trick — his eighth of the season for Barca — in the 86th minute after rounding Julio Cesar.