Lionel Messi breaks all-time Champions League goals-coring record with hat-trick against APOEL Nicosia

Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has broken the all-time Champions League goalscoring record with a hat-trick against APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday - his 72nd, 73rd and 74th of the competition.

The Barcelona forward drew level with Raul with a brace against Ajax at the start of November, but his treble against APOEL takes him away from the rest of the pack.

Luis Suarez was also on target in a 4-0 victory for the Catalan giants. 

Speaking after the match, Messi said: 'I am very happy to break the record in such an important competition but this was a big game for us all records aside.

'We want to compete in every competition and we needed the points tonight.

'We have a difficult last game against a team (Paris Saint-Germain) that we know very well because we played them last season and this season too. But we are at home so we have a good chance to finish top of the group.'

Messi has been the Catalans' star man for much of the last decade, and at 27, still has many years of Champions League football in him. 

Messi's record tally in Europe's elite club competition is the latest milestone in his stellar career after he broke the six decades-old La Liga scoring record with a hat-trick in Barca's 5-1 victory at home to Sevilla on Saturday. 

Messi wheels away after his record 72nd Champions League goal against APOEL Nicosia on Tuesday 

Cristiano Ronaldo is now third in the list with 70 strikes, hot on the heels of his La Liga rival.

Real Madrid play FC Basle in Switzerland tomorrow, where an unlikely four goals for Ronaldo will take him level with Messi.  

Shortly before his 74th, Messi flicked the ball over the APOEL goalkeeper for his 73rd of the competition

Two former Premier League legends make up the rest of the top five - ex-Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy is fourth with 56 goals while Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is fifth with a half-century of strikes.

Of Messi's 74 goals, eight have come against AC Milan while Arsenal have conceded six to the 

Argentina international - Messi found the net four times in one game against the Gunners back in April 2010 and scored five against Bayer Leverkusen in a 2012 clash.

 Messi looks to the heavens after his first goal of the night - and his 72nd in the Champions League overall

The 27-year-old has netted twice against Manchester United with both strikes coming in the Champions League final.

Messi added to Samuel Eto'o's opener to give Barcelona a 2-0 victory against the Red Devils in the 2009 final in Rome and scored his first goal on English soil at Wembley as the Spanish side, managed by Pep Guardiola, claimed their fourth European Cup in 2011.