Barcelona's Fermin Lopez reacts after equalling Lionel Messi's feat in their 6-1 win vs Olympiacos

Star Barcelona midfielder has admitted that producing a hat-trick and becoming the first La Masia graduate to do it since Lionel Messi is a dream come true. The Spanish player scored in the 6-1 win against Olympiacos on Tuesday, October 21, to help them get back to winning ways in the UEFA Champions League.

Fermin Lopez expresses happiness over his hat-trick vs Olympiacos

Speaking to Sporty TV following the win, Lopez said that he was very happy to score a hat-trick in the competition. He hopes to continue his scoring form for the Catalan side and said:

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it? Nothing else. I'm very happy about my first hat-trick in a Barca shirt. It's a dream come true, and I hope I can score many more."

Fermin Lopez equals Lionel Messi's record in La Liga

Lopez also became the first Barca player in 1916 days to score two goals and two assists in La Liga. He achieved the feat in the 7-1 win against Valencia in January 2025.

Lionel Messi did the same in the 5-1 win against Real Valladolid in 2019, but failed to repeat this in his last two years at Barca before leaving for PSG after the club could not renew his deal. He played two seasons at the Ligue 1 side, before moving to Inter Miami in 2023.

Lionel Messi's favorite achievement during his time at Barcelona

In a conversation with 3CAT in 2021, Lionel Messi revealed his favorite record from his time at the club. He was quick to pick the sextuple in the 2008/09 season under Pep Guardiola as his favorite, adding that it was his favorite season at Barcelona, as he enjoyed all the games and training sessions.

He said:

"It’s the sextuple with Barcelona. That year, the team enjoyed everything - training, matches - every single day. We would go out to play, already confident about the result. The only question was how it would end, not whether we would win. Honestly, it was a year I truly enjoyed, and I think we all enjoyed everything about it."

Lionel Messi's stats for Barcelona

Lionel Messi played 778 games for Barcelona, amassing 672 goals and 303 assists. During the 2008/09 season, the Argentine icon managed 38 goals and 19 assists in his 51 appearances in the UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, and La Liga.

He mostly featured as a right winger, starting three times as a striker, where he managed to score three goals and give as many assists in those games.