Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino has issued an ominous warning to La Liga defenders by claiming that Lionel Messi is not yet at the peak of his powers.
Messi's brace in the 6-0 demolition of Rayo Vallecano on Saturday took him level on 228 league goals with Real Madrid icon Raul as the division's third-highest scorer of all time.
The Argentine forward sits behind Hugo Sanchez (234) and Athletic Bilbao legend Telmo Zarra (251), and Martino backs his compatriot to smash the record before "losing count" of his goal haul.
He told reporters: "Messi will break all records he wants, and he won't be aware, he'll be losing count.
"I'd like to think he's not at his best yet. He is one of those players who come around once every 30-40 years."
Adriano, Alexis Sanchez, Pedro Rodriguez and Neymar were also on target as the Catalan giants returned to the top of the standings.
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