When he's not scoring hat-tricks, Lionel Messi is coming up with hat-tricks of assists.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner assisted Frenkie De Jong's goal against Real Betis with a delightfully lobbed pass, before laying on assists for Sergio Busquets and Clement Lenglet as Barcelona returned to winning way.
Only six players managed to supply three assists in one game in the top five leagues last season on the whole, but Messi has achieved the feat on a further three occasions in his star-studded career.
In 2014 against Levante in the Copa del Rey, Messi marked his 400th game for Barcelona by setting up every goal in Cristian Tello's hat-trick in a 26 minute period. The precision of his passes was just next level.
He then replicated the heroics on the international stage in the 2015 Copa America game against Paraguay, where he set up Marcos Rojo's opener before laying on assists for Javier Pastore and Gonzalo Higuain in the second half.
Getafe were hit for six as Messi ran riot with assists in 2016, the pint-sized Argentine scoring one and turning provider for Munir and both of Neymar's goal in the win at the Nou Camp.
And then of course he made it a quartet of assist hat-trick assists last night with a masterclass away at Betis, further proving that he is the greatest playmaker ever to play the game.
Messi's pass selection and weight of pass is well and truly special. As an attacker, playing with him must be an absolute dream because you know if you time your run well enough he will find you.
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His footballing ability is so magical that his hat-tricks aren't restricted to just scoring goals.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Football News, FC Barcelona, Football
