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Real players tired of signing hat-trick balls

Ronaldo struck three times in 14 first-half minutes as Madrid crushed Malaga 4-0 away on Saturday, adding to the three-goal hauls he collected against Real Zaragoza and Rayo Vallecano.

Real's Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain also bagged hat-tricks in the wins over Espanyol and Real Betis to take his total to nine in the league.

"It's good they keep changing, one day one, the next day the other," Real defender Alvaro Arbeloa joked with reporters. "I'm tired of signing balls, we don't have enough pens."

"I liked every aspect of our game, we have scored goals with a variety of moves," the Portuguese told reporters.

"We knew it wouldn't be possible to match it in the second half. The concentration levels dropped, their pride kicked in, and it could have ended up 4-2 or 5-2.

"You can't compare the two halves... but what we did in the first part was fantastic."

"There is still a long way to go and perhaps at present we can't compete," Malaga General Manager Fernando Hierro told reporters.

"We need time. The sheikh is happy with his team, with the project and the city... we have a lot of confidence invested in this."