Primera Liga round-up

A stunning treble from the mercurial Lionel Messi helped Barcelona to another big win, but Real Madrid lead the way in Spain. Click below for individual match stats: Valencia 3 Getafe 1 Villarreal 2 Rayo Vallecano 0 Barcelona 5 Mallorca 0 Real Sociedad 0 Real Madrid 1 Elsewhere on Saturday, Valencian maintained their grip on fourth spot and Villarreal clambered out of the drop zone. Messi's hat-trick led Barcelona to a resounding 5-0 victory over Real Mallorca at Camp Nou. The Argentina forward netted three times in 18 first half minutes as his side quickly took control of the game. The second half brought a first senior goal for Isaac Cuenca and a superb late goal from Dani Alves to round off the scoring. Emilio Nsue's handball allowed Messi to score from the spot in the 13th minute. David Villa forced a fine save from Aouate before Barca doubled their lead in the 21st minute when Dani Alves' deep cross and Adriano's mishit across the face of goal presented Messi with a tap-in. And he completed his hat-trick in sumptuous fashion on the half hour, tucking Dani Alves' cross calmly past Aouate with a first-time finish from the edge of the box. Thiago headed wide early in the second half but it was soon 4-0 when the impressive Adriano threaded in Cuenca to open his account. Messi headed wide from Dani Alves' deep cross but the latter added a fitting coat of gloss to the scoreline with a stunning fifth in stoppage time when his dipping 25-yard shot flicked in off the underside of the bar. It was also Barca's eighth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions and their third 5-0 win in a home record in this season's Primera Division which reads played six, won five, drawn one, scored 26, conceded none. Summit Remarkably, taking Barca's home record into account, Real Madrid top the Spanish standings after they edged out Real Sociedad. Jose Mourinho's side were far from their free-flowing best, but got the job done to clamber to the Primera Liga summit. Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain proved to the hero of the hour for Los Blancos on Saturday as his solitary strike was enough to see off plucky Sociedad. He provided a clinical finish just nine minutes into the contest, calmly slotting past Claudio Bravo after being sprung clear inside the box. Real were unable to add to the scoring in the remaining 81 minutes, but Mourinho knows it is points not performances that matter most. Brace Sofiane Feghouli scored his first two goals of the season to help Valencia to a routine 3-1 win over Getafe. The Algerian midfielder put the hosts in front after only 12 minutes as his shot from the edge of the area bounced into the ground and looped over Miguel Angel Moya. The visitors responded with a fine equaliser when Juan Valera's cross from the right was headed back across goal by Dani Guiza and expertly flicked in by Diego Castro. However, Valencia were back in front within two minutes as Feghouli made the most of another ricochet in the Getafe area to side-foot the ball home, and the hosts wrapped up the three points when Artiz Aduriz claimed his first goal of the season with 15 minutes remaining. Villarreal moved out of the relegation zone with a much-needed 2-0 win over Rayo Vallecano. Bruno Soriano and Borja Valero scored either side of half-time, whilst Marcos Senna also had a first-half penalty saved. Piti should have brought Rayo back into the game but shot wide moments after the second goal and the Madrid side had goalkeeper David Cobeno to thank for keeping the score down as he saved brilliantly from Hernan Perez in the final stages.

Leon ruled out

Getafe loan ace Pedro Leon has been sidelined for two months with a knee injury. Leon is due to have surgery on a knee injury that he suffered three weeks ago but coach Michel does not blame him or the club's medical staff The 24-year-old winger was caught in training by Cata Diaz last month but he was told that he did not require an operation to repair the damage to his knee and was given the green light to return to playing. Now the injury to his right knee has worsened and he will be out of action until the New Year although Michel does not believe that the club were wrong to continue to let him play. "He has played in recent games because the the medics and him said so," the trainer told reporters. "I do not think that it was a bad thing. "I am going to see what happens with him now. "Now the most important thing is the other players and I wish Pedro a return to action as quickly as is possible." Pedro Leon joined Real Madrid from Getafe in 2010 but Jose Mourinho did not include him in his plans despite reportedly blocking a move by Chelsea to sign him last winter. After making just six first-team appearances for Los Merengues the Spain Under-21 international chose to return to Geta on loan for the current campaign.

Udinese - Sanchez snubbed City

Udinese owner Giampaolo Pozzo has revealed that Alexis Sanchez rejected Manchester City for Barcelona during the summer transfer window. Sanchez, 22, joined Barca from the Italian club on a five-year contract, with Udinese bagging €26million as a transfer fee upfront. That amount could rise to around €37m depending on how the reigning Spanish and European champions fare with the Chile international in their ranks. However, Udinese could have earned as much as €45m right away had Sanchez taken up the offer placed on the table by ambitious English side Manchester City, according to the Udine outfit's chief. "The final price was €26m plus another €11m in variables," Pozzo told Ona FM. "He only wanted to sign for Barcelona and because of that the negotiations were not easy. "There were offers from England that were higher, a €45m one from Manchester City to be precise." Sanchez has recently returned to first-team training with Barcelona, having been out of action since 10th September when he suffered a hamstring injury in the Blaugrana's 2-2 away draw with Real Sociedad.

Diego tells Neymar to join Barca

Atletico Madrid star Diego believes that Barcelona would be the perfect team for Neymar to join when he makes the move from Brazil to Europe. The Blaugrana play the style of football that would suit the highly-rated striker more than any of his other suitors, according to the former Werder Bremen and Juventus playmaker. Barca, Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan, Inter and Juventus are all linked with Neymar but Diego believes Spain would be the best option for his compatriot with Real Madrid - who are favourites to land him - also recommended. "For the way that Barcelona play and the style that he has they would be the ideal team for him," Diego added. "They would also be good because they always have great players," he contined. Diego made his name at Santos also before joining Porto in 2004 and thinks that his ex-club have a gem on their hands who needs to play at the highest level. "He is a special player with a quality that you do not often see. He is different class," he added. "What is most important though is that he plays with the best in the Champions League."

Rossi out for six months

Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi is set to be sidelined until April after it was confirmed that he suffered cruciate ligament damage in the 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid. The Italy international was replaced after 60 minutes of the match at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday and scans have revealed the extent of the knee injury. He will now miss most of the rest of the season, including the rest of the UEFA Champions League group campaign. Villarreal's 2-1 defeat at Manchester City last week left them without a point at the bottom of Group A and they welcome Roberto Mancini's men to El Madrigal for the reverse fixture next Wednesday. A statement on Villarreal's official website read: "Worst fears have been confirmed. Villarreal's Italy striker Giuseppe Rossi seriously injured in his right knee in the match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu and is out for six months." Dreadful start The club said the 24-year-old was set to undergo surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament on Thursday night. The news of the severity of the injury is a major blow to the Yellow Submarine, who have endured a dreadful start to the new Primera Division campaign. Juan Carlos Garrido's side, who have become Champions League regulars, lie in the relegation zone with only seven points from their opening nine matches. Rossi is perhaps the player they can least afford to be without. The former Manchester United forward scored 32 goals in all competitions last season and his form saw him linked with a move to Barcelona in the summer. Villarreal are now seriously short of options in attack as their other senior striker Nilmar is also out with a knee injury for at least another month.

Pele - Messi current best

Brazil legend Pele believes Lionel Messi is currently the best footballer in the world but will need time to be considered as the greatest ever. Some believe the Argentinian ace is on his way to being the best ever player after helping Barcelona dominate European football. While triple World Cup winner Pele believes Messi is the best at present he said every generation produces its greats. Asked what Messi has to do to be remembered as the best ever, Pele told Sky Sports News : "It is time - each generation has your own good player. "Messi no doubt today is one of the best players, no doubt. "You have some time ago (Diego) Maradona, you have (Michel) Platini, you have (Zinedine) Zidane, you know a few years ago Zidane was the best. "In every generation you have one and at the moment Messi is the best." Rooney praise Pele also paid tribute to England striker Wayne Rooney, saying he would always want him in one of his sides. He said: "Some people mention the players for technically but for me, in my team, he (Rooney) has a position because I prefer the player who plays with the heart than the player who plays only beautiful football. "I want a player who plays for the team, and Rooney plays for the team."

Toure tells of Guardiola snub

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure claims he was frozen out of Barcelona by coach Pep Guardiola against his wishes. Ivory Coast international Toure spent three years at Camp Nou prior to completing a big-money switch to City in 2010. He believes he was forced out of the Catalan giants, with Guardiola having given him the cold shoulder after deciding he no longer figured in his first-team plans. Toure claims he would have been willing to stay on had communication between the manager and his players been better, but insists he was left with no choice but to look for a fresh start. "I wanted to stay at Barcelona and would have done so if Guardiola had asked me to, but the door to his office was always closed," Toure told Ona FM. "I did not speak to him in my last year there. There was no communication. "In the end Guardiola spoke to me, but at the start he said nothing. He had no faith in me and did not want me. "I wanted to stay but he did not want that. He left me confused. His explanations were puzzling and he did not pay me any attention until I had the offer from City." System Toure is not the only former Barca star to complain about Guardiola's management style, with Bojan Krkic having revealed that he too was given the silent treatment prior to joining Roma. The striker said: "If Guardiola calls me now I would not go back to Barcelona. "I spent a long time without speaking to Guardiola. I could not find the right words when I used to see him." Meanwhile, Toure believes Barca missed a trick last summer when they allowed City to snap up Spain international David Silva from Valencia, with the World Cup winner currently enjoying a sparkling run of form. "David Silva would be a perfect player to fit into the Barcelona system," Toure said, before stating that City are setting lofty targets this term. "This year City are much stronger with the arrival of (Sergio) Aguero. Now the main aim is to win the Premier League."