( CNN ) -- Lionel Messi 's became Barcelona 's highest goalscorer of all time after his hat-trick against Granada helped the Spanish champions close on La Liga leaders Real Madrid . The Argentina striker , who is still only 24 years old , took his tally to 234 goals for the club to overtake Cesar Rodriguez , who had a prolific spell for Barca in the 1940s and '50s . Messi took his tally for the season to 54 in 45 games as Barca 's 5-3 victory on Tuesday helped cut the gap to rivals Real to just five points . Barca have played a game more than Real , but now the second league `` El Clasico '' of the season between the two clubs scheduled for April 22 looks increasingly pivotal in the title race . `` We are witnessing the best player in every sense , '' said Messi 's coach Josep Guardiola . `` He does everything , and he does it every three days . `` I 'm sorry for those that want to sit on his throne , but this lad is the best . Hopefully we can enjoy his football for many more years . '' Guardiola compared Messi 's dominance in football to the basketball supremacy of NBA legend Michael Jordan . `` Leo has rightfully entered into history , '' he said . `` There are few players that dominate in this fashion , and he does it . '' A recent study by Barcelona 's Center of Documentation and Studies discovered that Cesar had scored 232 goals in competitive matches , not 235 as previously thought . And Messi wasted little time in equaling Cesar 's tally , with a crisp volley after Isaac Cuenca 's cross had fallen to him on the right edge of the box after 17 minutes . His opening goal made it 2-0 on the night after Messi had teed up Spain midfielder Xavi for the first after only six minutes . But Granada -- placed 15th in the 20-team division -- stunned Barca in the second half as Diego Mainz headed a free-kick past Victor Valdes before Dani BenÃ­tez drew a foul from Dani Alves in the box and Guillherme Siqueira fired home from the penalty spot . The visitors were n't level for long as Alves floated a ball over their defense for Messi , who controlled and lobbed Granada goalkeeper Julio Cesar to spark a prolonged round of celebrations with his teammates . Tello added a fifth for Barca when he slotted home in the final 10 minutes after Messi had been denied by Cesar . The gloss was removed ever so slightly from Messi 's record-breaking night when Alves was sent off after conceding another penalty , converted by Siqueira , and defender Adriano was sidelined for 10 days with a leg injury . In La Liga 's other game on Tuesday , Osasuna moved into sixth place in the table despite drawing 0-0 with Getafe , who remain 11th . Elsewhere , Juventus booked a place in the Italian Cup final after Mirko Vucinic 's extra-time strike sealed a 4-3 aggregate win over AC Milan . Leading 2-1 from the first leg , Juve edged further ahead when veteran striker Alessandro Del Piero scored on 28 minutes but Serie A leaders Milan hit back with goals from Djamel Mesbah and Maxi Lopez to force an extra half an hour . But Vucinic 's goal five minutes into the extra period settled the tie . Juve will face either Napoli or Siena in the final -- they play on Wednesday with Napoli trailing 2-1 from the first leg . Meanwhile , Blackburn Rovers boosted their hopes of English Premier League survival with a 2-0 win over Sunderland at Ewood Park . Striker Junior Hoilett opened the scoring with a 58th-minute volley to record his third goal in two games before a late Yakubu header sealed back-to-back wins for Rovers , who moved six points clear of the drop zone .
Lionel Messi becomes highest scorer in Barcelona 's history after hat-trick against Barcelona . Argentina striker 's treble helps Spanish to a 5 -3 win to close on La Liga leaders Real Madrid . Real Madrid 's haul takes his tally to 54 for the club , past Cesar Rodriguez 's long-held record . The 24-year-old has 54 goals for the Spanish and European champions only 24 years old .