MADRID, Spain (AP) — Real Madrid clinched their 32nd Spanish league title and first in four years yesterday, overshadowing Lionel Messi breaking a 39-year European club scoring record with a hat trick to take his season total to 68 goals.

Madrid won 3-0 at Athletic Bilbao for their first league championship since 2008, forcing Barcelona to relinquish the title after three straight years despite winning 4-1 against Malaga in which Messi scored three goals for the ninth time this season.

Madrid’s players celebrated wildly after the final whistle at San Mames stadium, with coach Jose Mourinho displaying seven fingers to symbolise the number of league titles he has won in his career, including at FC Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan.

Madrid have a seven-point lead over Barcelona with two games left.

Gonzalo Higuain scored for Madrid in the 16th minute and Mesut Oezil doubled the lead four minutes later. Cristiano Ronaldo added his 58th goal of the season and a record 115th for his club this campaign in the 50th, making up for a penalty in the 12th that was saved by goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz.

Messi broke the record of 67 goals Gerd Mueller set for Bayern Munich in 1972-73. He converted penalties in the 35th and 59th minutes and chipped goalkeeper Carlos Kameni in the 64th for his seventh league hat trick, tying the mark set by Ronaldo this season.

The 24-year-old Messi has played 57 games for Barcelona this season, and broke records by scoring 46 goals in the league and 14 in the Champions League.

But while Barcelona celebrated Messi’s scoring feats, Madrid’s famous Plaza de Cibeles began filling with fans in anticipation of Madrid celebrating the end of their great rival’s league dominance and yet another title for Mourinho.

Ronaldo also missed a penalty in the Champions League semi-final shootout loss to Bayern Munich last week, and his weak spot kick yesterday was easily stopped by Iraizoz to give supporters some early concern.

But Higuain’s impressive goal — his 22nd this season — put Madrid on course for victory and Oezil made it 2-0 soon after. Ronaldo made amends for his miss with a header.

At the Camp Nou, Carles Puyol’s 13th-minute opener for Barcelona was cancelled out by Jose Rondon for Malaga.

Iniesta was fouled inside the area to set up Messi’s 34th-minute spot kick that matched the 66-goal tallies by Pele for Brazilian club Santos in 1958 and Ferenc Deak for Hungarian team Ferencvaros in 1948-49.

Malaga midfielder Duda barged into Messi to set up his second successful penalty and match Mueller. Messi surpassed the former West Germany striker when Iniesta slipped a perfect long ball between defenders.

Earlier, Zaragoza beat Levante 1-0; Valencia thrashed Osasuna 4-0 and Real Betis beat city rival Sevilla 2-1.