The Greatest. 8 Lionel Messi hat-tricks in UEFA Champions League (VIDEO)

On September 18th 2018, Barcelona thrashed Dutch Champions PSV Eindhoven in their opening Champions League group game. Lionel Messi broke a tie with Cristiano Ronaldo and became the UEFA Champions League's most prolific goalscorer in terms of the number of hat-tricks scored. The maestro has scored more hat-tricks than any other player in Champions League/European Cup history and as many Champions League goals as PSV. La Pulga scored eight direct free-kicks in 2018 – the most he has netted in a calendar year and he is the second player in the Champions League history to score in 14 consecutive seasons, after Raul Gonzalez. And finally Lionel Messi has scored against 30 different Champions League sides - only Raul (33) and Cristiano Ronaldo (32) have scored against more different opponents. Here we look at all of Lionel's Messi's 8 hat-tricks in the Champions League.

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FC Barcelona 4-1 Arsenal, Camp Nou, QF 2nd leg 2009/2010

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Lionel Messi produced a virtuoso performance putting an end to Arsenal's Champions League dreams and helped secure a semi-final berth for Barcelona winning the tie 6-3 on aggregate. The prolific Argentine scored a hat-trick of the highest quality in the space of 21 first-half minutes and added a fourth to his tally in the second half. The highlight was his third goal beating Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia with a sublime chip.

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FC Barcelona 4-0 Viktoria Plzen, Camp Nou, Group Stage, 2011/2012

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In a season where Leo Messi ended up the top-scorer in the Champions League with 14 goals, it is only fitting that it included a hat-trick from the diminutive Argentine. His first goal came from a penalty, but more importantly, it marked his 200th goal for Barcelona. The victory ensured Barcelona's passage to the Round of 16 and also marked Pep Guardiola's 200th game as manager of Barcelona.

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FC Barcelona 7-1 Bayer Leverkusen, Camp Nou, 2nd leg, Round of 16, 2011/2012

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Lionel Messi became the first ever player to score five goals in a single Champions League game as the Catalans trounced Bayer Leverkusen 8-1. The victory ensured their passage to the quarter-finals with a thumping 10-2 aggregate. Messi scored twice in the first half and added another 3 goals in the second half. An astute long ball from Xavi Hernandez to set-up Messi who produced a delightful lob to catch the Bayer Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno off-guard was a treat to watch.

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Barcelona 4-0 Ajax, Camp Nou, Group Stage, 2013/2014

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Facing Ajax at home, Barcelona inspired by another Lionel Messi classic emerged victorious in a commanding manner beating their opponents 4-0. On a night when Messi could have ended up with 5 or even 6 goals, ''La Pulga'' scored a deft free-kick from just outside the box.

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FC Barcelona 4-0 APOEL FC, GS Pancypria Stadium, Group Stage, 2014/2015

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In a season which culminated with Barca winning the Champions League, Messi was the joint highest scorer in the Champions League with 10 goals sharing the top position with Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. This was Lionel Messi's first hat-trick outside the Nou Camp in this competition. Lionel Messi surpassed the record of 71 Champions League he jointly held with former Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzalves when he put Barca 2-0 ahead in the first half. The game also marked Luis Suarez's first goal in Barca colours.

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FC Barcelona 7-0 Celtic, Camp Nou, Group Stage, 2016/2017

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On a starry night in the Camp Nou, Barca trounced a hapless Celtic 7-0 and inflicted the heaviest defeat of Brendan Rodgers' managerial career. It was Leo Messi's 40th hat-trick of his career and his 6th in the Champions League. After completing his hat-trick, Messi even added an assist when his pass found an unmarked Luis Suarez who made no mistake in finding the back of the net.

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FC Barcelona 4-0 Manchester City, Camp Nou, Group Stage, 2016/2017

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Lionel Messi scored a sublime hat-trick and made it a forgetful night for Pep Guardiola who was returning to the Camp Nou. After Messi found the back of the net in the first half, Manchester City squandered a handful of chances and the game took a turn for the worst for City when their goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was given a straight red. Barca made the numbers count as Messi scored two goals within a space of eight minutes to hand Barca a comfortable win.

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Barcelona 4-0 PSV Eindhoven, Camp Nou, Group Stage, 2018/2019

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It was a day to remember for Lionel Messi as he surpassed the record of 7 Champions League hat-tricks that he jointly held with Cristiano Ronaldo. Messi found the back of the net with a well-crafted free-kick which looped over the wall and beat the goalkeeper. Barcelona started off their Champions League campaign with a statement of intent and it should surely serve as a warning to their rivals that the Blaugrana look determined to regain the Champions League crown from their old rivals - Real Madrid who have won the title for the past three seasons.