Messi, like Romario and Eto’o

Romário,in 1993, and Eto’o, in 2008, all scored three or more goals for Barça in the first half of a match. Messi did likewise at Mestalla

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  FC Barcelona - Messi

• Valencia v FC Barcelona (2-3)

It is quite some achievement to score a hat-trick in just 45 minutes, butMessi did just that at Mestalla. The last FCB players to do so in La Liga wereRomario and Eto’o, two of the club’s other all-time greatest strikers. The Brazilian did it at the Vicente Calderón in 1993/94, even though Barça ended up losing the match (4-3). Eto’o scored four in the first half of the game at the Camp Nou against Valladolid on November 8, 2008