Lionel Messi repeated history on September 19 when he scored four goals to help Barcelona win 6-1 against Eibar at Camp Nou, Barcelona. After the match, FCB coach Ernesto Valverde said to reporters “Him scoring four goals isn't news anymore. He's done this time and time again, on many nights and in many games. He repeats it, he repeats it and he repeats it.”
Valverde wasn’t exaggerating — this is the sixth time that the 30-year-old Argentinian, nicknamed ‘La Pulga Atomica’ or ‘The Atomic Flea’, has scored four goals (or in one instance, five) in a single match. Here is a look at the matches where Messi has replicated this incredible feat.
The initiation
His first “poker” — the colloquial Spanish term for scoring four goals in a match — was on April 6, 2010 against the mighty Arsenal in a Champions League match at Barcelona’s home ground. In quick succession, the left-footed player scored a goal each at the 21st, 37th, 42nd and 88th minute. The win against Arsenal helped Barca proceed to the Champions League semi-finals for the third year in a row.
Lightning strikes twice
Though he did score a few hatricks, the No: 10 striker did not get a chance to repeat his extraordinary performance until February 19, 2012 against Valencia in a La Liga match. Though FCB had gone in with a team devoid of Daniel Alves and Javier Mascherano (who were both suspended) and Xavi, who was on bench due to an injury, Messi’s decisive goals helped the team turn around their fortune.
Third time, with charm
As though not satisfied with his four-goal captures, the left-footed forward one-upped himself and scored five of the seven goals in the match against Bayer Leverkusen on March 7, 2012. His feat, arguably one of his greatest performances of all time, helped his team sail through to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
May the ‘Fourth’!
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that 2012 was a fantastic year for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner. On May 5, 2012, in what was then Barcelona-coach Pep Guardiola’s final match in Camp Nou, Lionel Messi scored four goals against cross-town rivals FC Espanyol in a befitting farewell-gesture. (NICA Id: 132943979)
Played the fifth
On January 27, 2013, Messi scored four goals against Osasuna, sailing past the 200 goals mark in La Liga. According to Reuters, he thus became “the first player to score on 11 successive La Liga match days and, at 25, the youngest to reach 200 league goals.” It is worth noting that all six of his four-goals-in-a-match exploits found fruit in the Camp Nou, Barcelona’s home turf.
Six and the city
... which brings us to his sixth and most recent feat. After a gap of over four years, Argentina’s all-time leading goalscorer scored four goals with panache against Eibar. His devastating attack in the second-half of the game left no room for questions on why he is often referred to as “magical Messi”. He also completed the 49th hattrick of his career when he deftly intercepted Paulhino’s pass at the 62th minute to score.
