Juan Mata believes Lionel Messi is ‘reaching his peak’

After a somewhat indifferent start to the season in which they fell behind bitter rivals Real Madrid early on, Barcelona have begun to click in recent weeks and have closed the gap to Carlo Ancelotti’s side to just one point.

Messi netted his 23rd league hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Levante on Sunday, pulling him level alongside Cristiano Ronaldo atop the all-time list in La Liga, and Spanish international Mata believes that the Argentine can now go on to inspire Barca as the Catalan club chase trophies on all three fronts.

"Real Madrid won a very important game after a complicated week. In those cases, a victory is the best remedy and also helps to recover some energy with a view to the decisive weeks of the season," Mata wrote on his official website.

"Barca enjoyed [themselves even] more though, once again displaying an extraordinary offensive power. Messi seems to be reaching his peak of the season right now.

"And if we add up the contribution from some other fantastic players, they are potential candidates to win every single competition."