Barca’s Messi hits 35th hat-trick

MADRID: Lionel Messi broke yet another record by hitting his 35th La Liga hat-trick on Saturday 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.”

The efforts of Messi and Suarez overshadowed Antoine Griezmann’s opener but that was impressive too, the Frenchman applying a sumptuous chip after being assisted by his own goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.