Messi hat-trick breaks La Liga record as Barca put five past Mallorca

TIL Desk Sports/ Lionel Messi broke yet another record by hitting his 35th La Liga hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed Real Mallorca 5-2 to keep pace with Real Madrid at the top of the table.

A trio of vintage Messi finishes contributed to five stunning Barca goals, the best of them arguably belonging to Luis Suarez, whose brilliant backheel capped a free-flowing move, involving seven different players.

“I knew I had a little gap, my last resort was to try a backheel,” said Suarez. “I was surprised,” added Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde. “It was an extraordinary goal.”

But at the end of a week in which Messi claimed a record sixth Ballon d’Or, it was the Argentinian etching his name into the history books again after pulling clear of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 34 La Liga trebles to stand alone. “Unbelievable,” said Valverde. “It was a celebration of the Ballon d’Or.”