Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has won trophy after trophy and set records galore during his illustrious career, but the Argentine icon managed a first this week after his hat-trick helped the Catalans hammer Real Betis to go 10 points clear at the top of La Liga.
Messi was applauded by Betis fans inside Estadio Benito Villamarín when he scored his hat-trick goal to make it 4-1, something the Barça captain said had never previously happened to him.
Messi's delightful chipped finish saw Betis supporters put football's traditional automatic dislike of opposing players to one side and applaud the genius in front of them.