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.
Speaking to the media 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.
Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring his 73rd Champions League goal - and he went on to get another
Messi looks to the heavens after his first goal of the night - and his 72nd in the Champions League overall
The Argentinian has broken two goalscoring records in a week - La Liga and now Champions League
'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 Catalan giants' 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 scores to put Barcelona 4-0 up against APOEL Nicosia - his 74th in the Champions League
Shortly before his 74th, Messi flicked the ball over the APOEL goalkeeper for his 73rd of the competition
Messi looks to the sky after scoring on his record-breaking night at the Neo GSP Stadium in Nicosia
The Barcelona number 10 was all smiles after scoring his second of the night against APOEL
Messi hugs Pedro after after scoring his hat-trick against APOEL on Tuesday night
Messi is now three ahead of Raul in the list of top Champions League scorers - and he's not finished yet
Messi walks off at full-time with the match ball
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.
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 celebrates scoring against Ajax at the start of November - he scored two to take him level 1st with Raul
Cristiano Ronaldo - on 70 goals - is four behind his rival ahead of Madrid's game against Basle on Wednesday
Messi has scored a total of six goals against Arsenal in the Champions League - including four in one game
Real Madrid legend Raul celebrates after scoring in the Champions League final at Hampden Park in 2002
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.
Messi scored his first goal on English soil at Wembley in the 2011 Champions League final against Man United
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