Pique says Messi is not human, labels Ronaldo 'the best of the humans'

Gerard Pique nearly had the last laugh in El Clasico, as the Barcelona defender scored the first goal of the match against Real Madrid.

Instead, the oft-outspoken Blaugrana defender was left with his hands on his hips as Cristiano Ronaldo scored the game-winning goal to secure a 2-1 victory at the Camp Nou.

There was little Pique could do to stop Ronaldo, who may rival Lionel Messi on the stat sheet, but according to the Spanish central defender, only one of the two is out of this world.

"I think that they are both amazing," Pique told BT Sport, as quoted by ESPN FC, when asked to compare the two icons. "We are talking about two of the best players, not just in the world but the history of this sport."

"I always said that Messi has some talent that no one has. I mean, he has the ball and his speed controlling the ball. The ball doesn't go two metres far from his foot, it's always there. It's impossible to catch him, this talent I didn't see from anyone.

"Cristiano Ronaldo is such a different player, they are very different. He is tall, strong, he's really complete. He can do anything. He can do goals with the head, free-kicks, penalties, take one on one.

"For me it's like Messi is not human but Cristiano is the best of the humans."

It's not the first time Messi has been referred to as an alien; Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon also considers the diminutive Argentinian of extraterrestrial origin, saying Messi is "an alien that dedicates himself to playing with humans."