The numbers behind Messi's Champions League dominance

It's gotten so routine by now, Lionel Messi being a dominant scoring force, that you're almost more surprised when he doesn't find the net multiple times in any given match - regardless of the competition.

Barcelona's living legend shredded Manchester City on Wednesday evening at the Camp Nou, as Pep Guardiola returned to Catalonia once again only to watch the Argentine steal the show in a 4-0 Blaugrana rout.

Related: 3 things we learned from Barcelona's battering of error-strewn City

Though his goals were aided in part by some luck - Fernandinho's untimely slip for the first - and some terrible City errors, Messi's triple on Wednesday added to his otherworldly Champions League totals.

Related - Watch: Messi welcomes Pep back to Camp Nou by netting hat trick

Here are some of the numbers that highlight just how frequently the little Argentine finds the net in Europe's premier club competition:

6 - Goals scored in his last two Champions League matches

If seeing Messi peel off in celebration three times in a single match feels familiar, that's because it is: He also netted a hat trick in Barcelona's last Champions League contest, against Celtic.

7 - Champions League hat tricks scored

Nobody has more. Cristiano Ronaldo, for the record, has five.

16 - Goals against English competition

The diminutive superstar has feasted on Premier League competition in his career, scoring more goals against English sides than he has against anyone else in the Champions League.

89 - Champions League goals scored in his career

Before you ask, the aforementioned Ronaldo is the all-time leader in Champions League scoring, sitting atop the mountain with 95 goals. Messi, second on that list, will certainly keep the pressure on his perennial rival.