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(CNN)– Another day, another record broken.
Lionel Messi must sometimes wonder what all the fuss is about but to
those in the outside world who remain permanently entranced by the
genius contained within his feet, it was another opportunity to
unleash a barrage of superlatives towards a football phenomenon.
Just days after breaking the record for the top scorer in Spanish
football history, Messi went one further, establishing himself as the
leading marksman in the history of the European Champions League.
Messi scored a hat-trick for Barcelona in its 4-0 victory against
Apoel Nicosia in Cyprus on Wednesday to take his tally to 74 goals in
91 appearances.
Raul, who scored 71 goals in 142 appearances, was unlikely to hold
onto his record for much longer with Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo
rewriting the history books.
Messi,who began the night level with Raul, required 38 minutes to
break the record before adding a couple more for good measure later
on.
He now sits three clear of Ronaldo, who will hope to feature for Real
against Swiss side Basel on Wednesday night.
It is easy to forget that Messi is only 27. This latest landmark is
just one in a number which he has reached in recent years.
The Barcelona forward, whose future at the club has come under some
question in recent weeks, hit the headlines last weekend by scoring a
hat-trick in the 5-1 win over Sevilla.
