Barcelona forward Lionel Messi set a Champions League scoring record of 74 goals when he struck a hat-trick in today's 4-0 Group F win at APOEL Nicosia.

The Barca and Argentina captain surpassed the record of 71 he jointly held with former Real and Schalke 04 striker Raul when he put Barcelona 2-0 ahead.

The 27-year-old added further goals in the 58th and 87th minutes to extend his record, having also netted a treble to break the La Liga all-time scoring mark on Saturday.

Messi's tally in Europe's elite club competition is the latest milestone in his stellar career with the six decades-old La Liga record falling during Barca's 5-1 home win over Sevilla.

Messi overhauled former Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zarra's tally of 251 goals, set in 1955, and has 253 in 289 league games for the Catalan club he joined as a 13-year-old.

Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, who ended Messi's four-year run as World Player of the Year in 2013 with his second award, has scored 70 Champions League goals.

The Portugal captain will try to close the gap on his arch rival when Real play at FC Basel in Champions League Group B on Wednesday.

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