LaLiga 2018-19: Lionel Messi responds to Real Betis fans' standing ovation after hat-trick

What's the story?

Barcelona captain Lionel Messi has responded to the standing ovation he received from Real Betis fans during his individual goal-scoring exploits against Quique Setién's side on Sunday night, stating that he is very grateful for his supporters.

In case you didn't know...

Real Betis played host to Barcelona at the the Benito Villamarin Stadium yesterday. The game saw the visitors exact revenge for their 4-3 loss to the hosts at Camp Nou in November last year.

Messi once again put up a phenomenal display for the Catalan giants as he netted a hat-trick to give the league leaders a 4-1 win over the hosts.

The goals marked his 33rd LaLiga hat-trick, edging him closer to Juventus and former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo's hat-trick record (34).

The Argentine's 51st career hat-trick was met with an incredible standing ovation from the 54,000 spectators in the stadium. The ones cheering included Real Betis fans, who were heard chanting the Barcelona star's name while applauding what they had just seen.

The heart of the matter

Speaking to Movistar Partidazo, Messi expressed his gratitude for the reaction he received during the game, and added that he had never before been applauded in that way.

The 31-year-old said, (via The Standard UK): "I don’t remember (a rival player being applauded like that) and I’m very grateful with the reaction of the fans."

"Every time we come to this stadium, they treat us really well. Very grateful and happy for the win, which was very important."

Standing ovations for rival players aren't unheard-of in football, but they are extremely rare. Then again, Messi is an extremely rare player, so the behaviour of Real Betis' fans is not too hard to comprehend.