article_snippet: As Lionel Messi took control of the ball in a crowded penalty area before bursting into the six-yard box and sitting the  goalkeeper on Lionel Messi backside with the subtlest of feints, records went tumbling again.
article_snippet: Ballon d'Or winner - 4 .
article_snippet: You would be forgiven for thinking there were any records left to break for the 27-year-old.
article_snippet: The graphic above by Grup14.com perfectly illustrates Lionel Messi's dominance over the last decade.
article_snippet: The Argentina forward has outperformed legends of the game such as Alfredo di Stefano, Gerd Muller and Michel Platini to lay claim to some illustrious accolades and Lionel Messi's record-breaking shows no sign of abating.
article_snippet: Here, we look at the statistics following his latest goalscoring exploits.
article_snippet: The 27-year-old taps home from close range in front of a packed Nou Camp as Barca went top of La Liga .
highlights_snippet: Barcelona Barcelona forward set more records with Lionel Messi latest treble .
  
highlights_snippet: The hat-trick against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday was Messi's fifth treble of the season .
  
highlights_snippet: Lionel Messi has now scored 24 La Liga hat-tricks, beating the record set by Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 23 .
  
highlights_snippet: The Argentina forward has now scored more hat-tricks (32) in all competitions than any other player for a Spanish club, surpassing former Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zorra .
  
highlights_snippet: The 27-year-old has now scored more than 40 goals in all competitions in six consecutive seasons .
  
highlights_snippet: Despite Ronaldo's blistering start to the league campaign, Lionel Messi has now equalled the Portugal international's tally of 30 goals this season .
  
highlights_snippet: Just for good measure the Argentine also leads the way for assists this season (14), four more than Ronaldo in second .
  
highlights_snippet: Since the start of 2015 Lionel Messi has netted 15 league goals in just 10 games .
  