Year-ender: Five best performances of 2014

LIONEL MESSI (SOCCER)

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates his second goal with teammates during their Spanish first division soccer match against Sevilla at Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona in this November 22, 2014 file photo. Barcelona forward Messi set a La Liga scoring record of 253 goals when he claimed a hat-trick in Saturday's match at home to Sevilla. [Photo/Agencies]

More milestones fell in 2014 to Lionel Messi, who in typically breathtaking fashion became the all-time leading scorer in La Liga and the Champions League with two hat-tricks in the space of four days.

Three goals against Sevilla took his La Liga total to 253, before a treble against APOEL Nicosia set a Champions League scoring record of 74 goals.

The four-times World Player of the Year surpassed the previous La Liga mark of 251 set by former Athletic Bilbao striker Telmo Zarra in 1955 and the Champions League record of 71 he jointly held with former Real Madrid striker Raul.

It was a superb way to crown a year in which he won the Golden Ball award for best player at the Brazil World Cup having led Argentina to the final.