Barcelona turned on the style to thrash Real Valladolid 3-0 away in La Liga on Tuesday as Lionel Messi scored his 644th goal to surpass Pele as the all-time record scorer for a single club.
Messi finally got his first assist of the season when he picked out defender Clement Lenglet with a splendid cross and the Frenchman rose to head Barca in front after 21 minutes.
The Argentine also had a hand in Barca’s second goal, laying on a pass for right-back Sergio Dest to latch on to down the right flank and play a cross into the path of Martin Braithwaite, who slid in to score in the 35th minute.
Messi capped a brilliant individual and team display with a splendid goal midway through the second half, running in behind to meet a pass from teenager Pedri and slotting into the far bottom corner to eclipse Pele’s scoring mark with Santos.
Messi almost scored a second in added time when he raced through on goal but fired against the post from a tight angle.
It was Barca’s first away league win in five matches but they remain fifth, moving on to 24 points after 14 games.
Atletico Madrid remains top with 32 points from 13 games after a 2-0 win at Real Sociedad earlier on Tuesday.
