This archive report was first published on 8 December 2019.
Barcelona's Lionel Messi marked his sixth Ballon D'Or win with a record-breaking 35th La Liga hat-trick, leading his team to a 5-2 victory over Real Mallorca on Saturday, December 8, 2019.
The win moved Barcelona back to the top of La Liga, after Real Madrid had briefly taken the lead.
Messi's hat-trick, which included a stunning backheel from Luis Suarez, was the highlight of the match, as Barcelona dominated Mallorca at the Camp Nou.
Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring with a dinked goal, before Messi curled home two more from outside the area.
Ante Budimir scored twice for Mallorca, but Messi's third goal sealed the win for Barcelona.
“Each game (we get along) better,” said Griezmann of his strike partners. “Today was a special night for Leo and we wanted to have a good game for him.
“I’m happy to help them win the game, it was important to win and play well, we had a great first half.”
Messi's performance was a testament to his status as the best player on the planet, and he was presented with his sixth golden ball award by the supporters before the game.
