European Team of the Week: Perfect Lionel Messi, two-goal Cristiano Ronaldo drop out

Due to Lionel Messi's perfomance and hatrick inBarcelona last league match at home to Sevilla which ended on a 5-1,READ MORE STORY AFTER CUT

Lionel Messi seized the all-time goalscoring record in Spain with a hat-trick against Sevilla – his 251st, 252nd and 253rd goals of his Liga career – to guarantee his place in the latest European Team of the Week. Not bad for a bloke who turned 27 in July.

Opta graded Messi’s performance as flawless following his treble, 100 per cent shooting accuracy and healthy haul of nine touches in the opposition box on Saturday.

But Cristiano Ronaldo, who netted twice in Real Madrid’s 4-0 win at Eibar, misses out despite becoming the first player in reach 20 Liga goals in the first 12 matches.

Messi is joined in the team by Barcelona team-mates Neymar – who collected a goal and two assists – and Dani Alves, who made a mammoth 58 successful passes in the opposition half.

The much-derided Yaya Toure earns a spot in midfield following his match-winning exploits against Swansea. He’s joined by Juventus’ Paul Pogba in the holding roles.