"I enjoyed my hat trick against Real Madrid the most," says Barcelona's Lionel Messi

Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho congratulate Lionel Messi after his second goal during Barcelona’s 3-3 draw against Real Madrid at Camp Nou in 2007.

For a player like Lionel Messi, it is understandably going to be difficult to remember all of his hat tricks, but if he had to pick one, it would be his first career hat trick which came during Barcelona’s 3-3 draw against Real Madrid at Camp Nou in 2007.

Speaking to the club’s official magazine, the Argentine forward shed light on his ambition for the remainder of the season while talking about many of his past experiences and memories.

Hat-trick against Real Madrid was special

“Right now, as we speak, no,” said Messi when asked if he remembered all the hat tricks that he had scored. “I need to see the goals again or for somebody to tell me something about them to actually remember them.”

“The one I scored against Real Madrid when we drew 3-3 at Camp Nou was very special for me, for what it meant in the game and because for me it was my first hat trick and it kept us ahead in the league,” he adds. “Even though at the end we didn’t win the league, at that moment it was important and also because it was against Real Madrid.”

Feeling very good this season

Messi didn’t enjoy the best of his seasons in the last campaign, at least by his standards with Barcelona eventually finishing the season trophyless. However, the 27-year-old agrees that he feels happy and good now.

“Yes, I feel happy,” said Messi. “The truth is that I started the season in a different way after what happened to me last season. I had a tough year due to events off the field, injury and my form. But this season I started differently and now I feel good.”

“Like I was saying, I was inconsistent last season. I was out for a while due to injury, missing quite a few games. When I came back I didn’t feel right. It was a year that I have tried to quickly forget to try and get back to my best through hard work, smiling and effort, like I always have and now, fortunately, I feel very good,” he added.

Raul’s words of appreciation mattered the most

“I remember, in the game against Real Madrid [in 2007], when the match ended Rául came up to me to congratulate me,” recalls Messi when asked if an appraisal from an opponent made him happy after a goal or hat-trick.

“He said a few things to me that, at that moment for me were very nice, because of who Rául was, for what that game meant, so the truth is I always remember that.”