This archive report was first published on 8 December 2019.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi has cemented his status as the world's best footballer after breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's record in La Liga.
On December 7, 2019, Messi scored three goals to lead Barcelona to a 5-2 win over Mallorca, surpassing Ronaldo's previous record of 34 goals in the league.
Just days after being crowned the 2019 Ballon d'Or winner, Messi put on a spectacular performance, finding the back of the net three times and inspiring his team to victory.
Barcelona's Antoine Griezmann and Luis Suarez also scored goals in the match, but it was Messi's hat-trick that stole the show.
With his 35th goal in La Liga, Messi has now scored one more than Ronaldo, who scored 34 goals during his time at Real Madrid.
" The Argentine superstar put on the sort of performance that won him the accolade " as Barcelona's coach described Messi's performance.
Messi's treble took his La Liga tally for the season to 12 goals, deposing Karim Benzema as the league's top scorer.
