Luis Suarez scored his first goal for Barcelona and in doing so opened the way for Lionel Messi to rewrite the history books once again, with a hat-trick that took him past Raul as the Champions League all-time top-scorer.
Barca were struggling to break down a stubborn APOEL defence when Suarez spun away from his marker and buried a shot in the far corner of Urko Pardo's net after 27 minutes. It was the goal that lifted the weight of not having scored in his first five games from his shoulders. It also opened the floodgates for Messi.
Last week, Messi told Argentine newspaper Olé he would like to stay at Barcelona for the rest of his career but that 'players don't always get what they want'. What sane of mind president would sanction his sale after his latest landmark performances?
The 27-year-old is now Barcelona's all-time top scorer; the Spanish league's all-time top scorer; and the Champions League's all-time top scorer, too. And such is the 27-year-old's genius that he has broken each one of those records by scoring a hat-trick.
He bagged a treble against Granada last season to become the club's all-time leading scorer; he got three against Sevilla at the weekend to top La Liga's all time list; and he surpassed Raul's record 72-goal haul with three more against the Cypriot champions.
He moved past Real Madrid legend Raul when he diverted a Jordi Alba shot past APOEL keeper Urko Pardo. He doubled his tally in the second half, converting an Alves pass and then made it 4-0 from Pedro's cross to put him on 74 goals in 91 games.
Credit: Dailymail
