IT was surely just a matter of time, but Lionel Messi reached another landmark Wednesday.

    The five-time Ballon d’Or winner broke the 500-goal plateau for his career during Barcelona’s 7-0 rout against Valencia in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. That tally includes the 16 goals Messi scored during his time with Argentina’s U20 and U23 national teams.

    Any other day, Luis Suarez’s four-goal outburst would be the talk of the match, but Messi deserves special praise for achieving this incredible milestone — at only 28 years old!

    Heading into the match, Messi stood at 498 career goals: 433 with Barcelona, 49 with Argentina’s national team, and 16 with the Albiceleste’s youth teams. A simple brace against Valencia would have been enough to get him to 500, but of course, in typical Messi fashion, he went one better and wound up sealing a hat trick.

    Suarez scored in the seventh and 12th minutes, and Messi got on the board in the 29th, 58th and 74th before Suarez closed the scoring in the 83rd and 88th minutes.

    Messi also hit the post once, and Neymar missed a penalty kick just before halftime of the semifinal at the Camp Nou. The second leg is next week at Mestalla Stadium in Valencia.

    “It was one of the more complete games we’ve played,’’ said Suarez, who has 35 goals in 33 games this season. “We know we have a good advantage now, but in football you never know.’’

    Valencia, struggling since coach Gary Neville took over less than two months ago, played the entire second half a man down after defender Shkodran Mustafi was sent off for fouling Messi in the play that prompted the penalty wasted by Neymar with a shot into the post.

    “Valencia fans didn’t deserve a result like this one,’’ Neville said. “This is one of the worst experiences I’ve been through in football. We made bad mistakes during the entire match.’’

    Barcelona’s ninth win in a row kept alive the team’s 27-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, one shy of its all-time record. It hasn’t lost a game since a 2-1 result at Sevilla in October in the Spanish league. The Catalan club went 28 games without a loss in the 2010-11 season.

    Barcelona has outscored opponents 30-3 in its last seven games at the Camp Nou.

    The hosts opened the scoring after Neymar helped steal a ball near midfield and set up Suarez’s low cross shot from inside the area. Suarez added his second from near the penalty spot after assists by Sergio Busquets and Aleix Vidal.

    Neymar’s superb back-flick pass left Messi in great position to score the third from close range.

    It was Suarez who set up Messi with a back-flick pass for the fourth goal, and Messi cleared two defenders inside the area before finding the net. He got his hat trick with a left-footed shot after Valencia defenders failed to clear a ball in front of the goal.

    Suarez capped his spectacular night with a right-footed shot from inside the box, and a late header.

    Suarez and Messi spent the final part of the match trying to set up Neymar, but he wasn’t able to find the target.

    “We kept looking for him after he missed the penalty,’’ Suarez said. “We know that in the end he is happy for the team.’’

    Valencia complained about the penalty kick call, claiming Mustafi caught the ball before touching Messi’s leg inside the area.

    Newly-signed Valencia striker Denis Cheryshev had a goal disallowed for offside after coming off the bench in the second half. Cheryshev was ineligible when he played for Real Madrid earlier in the competition, leading to the team’s disqualification.

    (SD-Agencies)