Messi hat-trick as Barca make history

Lionel Messi blasted a hat-trick as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 3-0 at the Camp Nou to become the first side in history to win 16 consecutive Liga games.

Messi's strikes - his 22nd, 23rd and 24th in only 19 Liga matches this season - see Barca move 10 points clear of rivals Real Madrid at the summit of the table.

That means he has scored an incredible 40 goals in all competitions this season - this in the first days of February.

"It is an honour for this team to be able to surpass this mark [the record number of consecutive victories] which remained in place for so long because it was very hard to beat it," World Player of the Year Messi said after the game.