Lionel Messi becomes first player to reach 50 goals in 2018

Lionel Messi became the first player to reach 50 goals in all competitions in 2018 after hitting a hat-trick against Levante on Sunday.

The Barcelona captain was in sensational form against Paco Lopez’s side. He set up Luis Suarez for the opener, before hitting his 49th career hat-trick.

It’s an awful lot of goals for one player, but this is something Messi has managed in eight of his last nine seasons.

Messi’s now the leading La Liga goalscorer with 14 goals, the top scorer in Europe’s top five leagues and you have to wonder just how many he will score this season. Any predictions?