A trio of goals in Wednesday’s 4-1 thrashing of Malaga propelled Barcelona star Leo Messi even closer to the Pichichi title for the Liga’s most prolific attacker. Messi now has 46 Liga strikes to his name this season, a new all-time record in the Spanish topflight. But what Messi has achieved this season, and cemented firmly on Wednesday, goes far beyond Spanish borders. With 68 goals in all competitions so far, Messi has now surpassed German Gerd Muller as the all-time high scorer for a first division player Europe-wide. Even more: Messi has been involved in 97 separate golas with Barcelona this term: to his 68 goals, he has added 29 assists.

Of course, these numbers are amazing, even absurd. But consider this: there are still three matches to play!

Stats: @barcastuff, @messistats • Image: LLUIS GENE [AFPGetty]