"And even less the one that I achieved today which belonged to @pele ... I can only thank everyone who helped me over the years, my teammates, my family, my friends and everyone who supports me every day."

Clement Lenglet's header from a Messi cross had given Barcelona the lead after 21 minutes, with Martin Braithwaite, given a start ahead of Antoine Griezmann, knocking in a second before half-time.

Messi rounded off the scoring after 65 minutes when played in by a neat backheel from Pedri.

Koeman was quoted in Marca saying: "I've said it a lot, I see Leo happy here.

"He's very important for us with his creativity. You can see that when there are good players alongside him."

The team closed out for a first away LaLiga win since the start of October to sit fifth in the table, eight points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, who had earlier won at third-placed Real Sociedad.