record with a hat-trick against APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday - his
72nd, 73rd and 74th of the competition.
The Barcelona forward drew level with Raul with a brace against Ajax
at the start of November, but his treble against APOEL takes him
away from the rest of the pack.
Luis Suarez was also on target in a 4-0 victory for the Catalan giants.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
TOP SCORERS
1st: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 74 goals
2nd: Raul (Real Madrid, Schalke) - 71
3rd: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United, Real Madrid) - 70
4th: Ruud van Nistelrooy (PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, Real Madrid) - 56
5th: Thierry Henry (Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona) - 50
Speaking after the match, Messi said: 'I am very happy to break the
record in such an important competition but this was a big game for
us all records aside.
'We want to compete in every competition and we needed the points tonight.
'We have a difficult last game against a team (Paris Saint-Germain)
that we know very well because we played them last season and this
season too. But we are at home so we have a good chance to finish top
of the group.'
Messi has been the Catalans' star man for much of the last decade,
and at 27, still has many years of Champions League football in him.
Messi's record tally in Europe's elite club competition is the
latest milestone in his stellar career after he broke the six
decades-old La Liga scoring record with a hat-trick in Barca's 5-1
victory at home to Sevilla on Saturday.
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