How many hat-tricks? Who does he enjoy playing most? Record-breaking Lionel Messi in numbers

Lionel Messi moved ahead of Pele’s record of 663 goals for a single club when he scored against Real Valladolid on Tuesday night, taking him to 664 in Barcelona colours.

Messi had crept up to equal Pele’s record, which he held for his goals with Brazilian club Santos, at the weekend when he scored against Valencia. He now holds the record by himself. While Pele’s feat took 18 years, Messi managed it in a season fewer.

After years of success, with his club and personally, that is far from the only record that Messi holds.

His goal against Valencia was his 450th, meaning by scoring against Valladolid he moved onto 451 goals in the Spanish league alone. That makes him La Liga’s record goalscorer, and with Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus a couple of seasons ago, there is little chance that record will be challenged soon.

Messi has scored 118 goals, which puts him second. Because of Barcelona’s struggles on the European stage of late - something that played a part in the 33-year-old striker’s decision to request a free transfer in the last transfer window - he has been unable to claim number one spot. That record is currently held by Ronaldo, who has 134.

In the 2011/12 season, Messi scored a barely believable 73 times in 60 games for Barcelona, more than a goal every game. Not only that, but he has surpassed 50 goals in a season five other times, and 40 goals on four other occasions. He has not scored fewer than 30 goals since 2007-08. Those efforts have won him the Pichichi trophy seven times as La Liga’s top scorer, and he has repeated the achievement in the Champions League six times.

Messi has scored 36 hat-tricks in La Liga, and has eight of them in the Champions League, and 48 in total. Your mission is to locate the missing two hat-tricks.

While we don’t have the numbers for pre-assists, we do for its more vulgar cousin, the assist. Messi has 183 of those in the Spanish league, perhaps reflecting it is easier for him to score by himself than have to rely on anyone else. He has 21 more assists in the Champions League.

Well, Mr Grammar, the answer is Sevilla. A mixture of their relative lack of success combined with their longevity in the top division means he has been able to play against them 38 times and score 37 goals.

There are four other European sides outside Spain that register in his top 30 victims. The first is Bayer Leverkusen, with the Germans getting clattered for seven goals. Scottish side Celtic and Italian club AC Milan get the benefit of regular Champions League exposure while not being much cop, and have shipped eight goals each to Messi. Arsenal’s famous back four have all watched from the sidelines as their replacements have let in nine goals.