With Barcelona two goals down to Getafe inside the opening 15 minutes on Sunday and unable to call upon the services of Lionel Messi and Neymar, Pedro duly stepped up to the plate and donned the role of talisman.

A nine-minute hat-trick towards the end of the first half – the fastest for the club since Dani’s treble back in 1999 – turned the game on its head and set the tone for a dominant second period and ultimately a 5-2 victory.

Goal’s Alec Fenn said: “The 26-year-old has displayed a killer instinct for Spain in recent months, with his goals pivotal in their qualification for World Cup 2014.

“After scoring once in the 3-0 win over Cartagena in the Copa del Rey on Tuesday, the forward followed that up with a stunning hat-trick that displayed his full range of finishing and brushed off the absence of Messi and Neymar.

“Pedro now has 10 goals in 16 Liga games this term and has already surpassed his league tally of seven strikes in the whole of the 2012/13 campaign.”

The Shortlist

Mehdi Benatia – Roma Goal’s Joe Wright: “The defender scored twice in Sunday’s 4-0 win over Catania to continue his fine form.”
Diego Costa – Atletico Madrid  @HassanDashiti: “The best striker in the world right now? One of the best #DiegoCosta.” Goal’s Craig Turnbull: “Another two goals mean he now has 19 in just 17 appearances in La Liga this season.”
Luis Suarez – Liverpool @mbabalo: “The first player to score 10 goals in a month in the Premier League.” Goal’s Chris Myson: “Another two goals of the highest quality as he led the team in Steven Gerrard’s absence.”
Jairo Riedewald – Ajax @akamarkey: “@jairoriedewald brilliant debut!” Goal’s Stefan Coerts: “Fantastic Eredivisie debut. Comes on in 80th minute and scores twice in a 2-1 win.”