Lionel Messi’s four-game goal drought was ended in spectacular fashion with the Barcelona star netting a first-half hat-trick against Eibar.
Messi grabbed his first goal after just 15 minutes, delightfully chipping over the on-rushing goalkeeper.
And two goals in three minutes later in the half guaranteed that the Argentine forward will be taking home the match ball.
And Messi fans on social media were left amazed by the six-time Ballon d’Or winners strikes, with the 32-year-old having laid on eight of nine assists in Barca's previous matches.
One wrote: “Messi shutting the haters up with a hat trick in the first half”
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In an apparent dig at Cristiano Ronaldo, another added: “The Goat. Doesn’t need a Penalty to Score a Hatrick”
With a third commenting: “Lionel Messi hat trick in first half…. I know who my GOAT is.”
While another put: “Nobody should say nonsense about Messi again, when he wants to score, he scores, and if he feels like assisting, he assists, hatrick in first half, can only be my goat.”
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Messi has been playing deeper under Quique Setien and the boss recently admitted he could be forced to manage the star’s workload.
Setien said: “Messi, like a lot of other players, knows what he can do and what he can't do. If he's on the pitch it's because he's able to be. He's OK, there's no problem.
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"Like any other players, there will be a time when we have to rest him. I haven't spent so much time here to be able to evaluate this.
“These players are so used to playing Sunday to Wednesday for many years that in some cases it is not necessary for them to rest, but we will have a look as it goes on."
Barcelona travel to Italy on Tuesday as they resume their Champions League campaign with a trip to Napoli.
- Lionel Messi
- Barcelona FC
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