Barcelona defender Gerard Pique hailed Leo Messi after their rout of Real Betis.

Pique had no doubts praising Messi, who was once again Barça's main man, scoring a hat-trick in the victory.

"What we have seen up until now shows there's no one like Messi," Pique told reporters.

"He is special and he's repeated it throughout recent years. What he does is unique."

Atletico Madrid's defeat to Athletic Bilbao saw Barca go 10 points clear of the Rojiblaco and 12 ahead of Real Madrid.