List of footballers who achieved hat-trick records
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Pelé scored 92 hat-tricks during his career for Santos, NY Cosmos and Brazil.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the record holder for the most international hat-tricks (10).
The first ever hat-trick in an international match was recorded on 2 March 1878, when John McDougall scored three times for Scotland in a 7-2 win against England.[1] Since then there have been numerous players who scored three or more goals in a single match, either in club or international football. The great majority of the scorers of a hat-trick have played for the winning side, but there have also been a few occasions when the player's team have drawn or lost the game. Cristiano Ronaldo became the first to reach 10 international hat-tricks on 12 October 2021, and has scored 59 overall, more than any active player. According to Guinness World RecordsPelé has scored the most hat-tricks in history, however based on RSSSF's data the record belongs to Erwin Helmchen with at least 141. Pelé still holds the record for the youngest player to strike three times in a FIFA World Cup match after achieving the feat in 1958, while Ntinos Pontikas became the youngest ever to score a hat-trick in 1996. Stjepan Lucijanic broke Masashi Nakayama's record with the most conscecutive hat-tricks in 2016, just over a century after Sophus Nielsen scored 10 goals in a single match of the Olympic tournament which still remains a record.[2] When it comes to continental competitions Michel Platini is the only player who scored two hat-tricks in the UEFA European Championship, but there have been ten players who managed to achieve the same feat in the Copa America: Ademir, Javier Ambrois, David Arellano, Teodoro Fernandez, Herminio Masantonio, Pedro Petrone, Sylvio Pirillo, Jose Sanfilippo, Severino Varela, and Paolo Guerrero. Ferenc Puskas is the only player to score 2 hat-tricks in a major international club final (1960 and 1962 for Real Madrid)[3] and Malika-e-Noor holds the record for the most goals scored in a women's football match. The list below features association football players who achieved, held or currently hold hat-trick records, including professionals, semi-professionals, amateurs, women, in any football league, cup, official friendly or other competition around the world.
According to RSSSF Erwin Helmchen the highest goalscorer in history, scored at least 141 hat-tricks only in official matches, including 8 goals on 2 occasions, 7 goals on three, 6 goals ten times and 5 goals 15 times.[4]
Active players with most hat-tricks[]
Player
Years
Number of hat-tricks
Details
Cristiano Ronaldo
2008-2022
59
Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the active player with most hat-tricks overtaking Lionel Messi who was on top of the list.[5]
Lionel Messi
2006–2021
55
Lionel Messi has scored 55 hat-tricks in his career for Barcelona and Argentina.[6]
Players who scored most hat-tricks for a national team[]
Player
Years
Number of hat-tricks
Details
Cristiano Ronaldo
2013-2021
10
Cristiano Ronaldo became the first player to score 10 hat-tricks for a national team on 12 October 2021 in Portugal's 5-0 win against Luxemburg, breaking Sven Rydell's record.[7]
Sven Rydell
1924-1932
9
Sven Rydell scored his 9th hat-trick on 16 May 1932 in Sweden's 7-1 victory over Finland and his record lasted for 89 years.[8]
Players with most consecutive hat-tricks in history[]
Player
Year of record
Number of hat-tricks
Details
Stjepan Lucijanic
2016
5
Stjepan Lucijanic scored his fifth consecutive hat-trick in the NK Dračice Dakovo's 10-0 win over NK Zrinski Drenje in the Croatian seventh division on 9 November 2016, breaking Masashi Nakayama's record. Lucijanic had scored 20 goals in those 5 matches.[9]
Masashi Nakayama who ended his career at the age of 53, held the record for 18 years after scoring 4 consecutive hat-tricks and 16 goals in total in the J1 League between 15 and 29 April in 1998.[10]
Fernando Hierro scored 2 hat-tricks in his career. The first was on 30 November 1991 on the 12th round of the 1991-92 La Liga and the second on 24 March 2002 in the 2001-02 La Liga.[14]
Bernard Dietz, a prolific defender who even captained West Germany during his career scored 4 goals against Bayern in the 1977-78 Bundesliga on 5 November 1977.
Alpay Özalan scored his only ever goals for Turkey equalizing the match against North Macedonia in the Group 4 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification on 6 June 2001.
Left-back Steve Staunton came off the bench to score a second-half hat-trick for Liverpool at Wigan in the League Cupin the second round of the 1989-90 Football League Cup on 4 October 1989, replacing Ian Rush in a forward position.[17]
Ronald Koeman on his debut for Barcelona scored two goals from outside the box and a penalty in just 45 minutes during the friendly against fifth tier Dutch club Buitenpost on 1 August 1989.[18]
Ronald Koeman, the highest goalscoring defender in history with 207 goas, on his debut for Barcelona scored two goals from outside the box and a penalty in just 45 minutes during the friendly against fifth tier Dutch club Buitenpost on 10 December 2006.[19]
Free-kick specialist Marcos Assunção scored an away hat-trick of free-kicks for Santos against 2nd division Bahia on 1 March 1998 in the first leg of the second round of the 1998 Copa do Brasil.[23]
Free-kick specialist and centre-back Sinisa Mihajlovic scored a hat-trick of free-kicks on 13 December 1998 against his former club at Stadio Olimpico in the 1999-2000 Serie A[26]
33-year old winger Jackson scored Nação's all 3 goals by free-kick to help them come from 2-0 behind and win the match, in the 2nd division of the Catarinense championship on 11 August 2021.[28]
Yanick Djouzi Manzizila scored 21 goals for Congo United in the ninth tier of the Swedish football on 11 August 2014 breaking Stefan Dembicki and Panagiotis Pontikos record.[29]
18-year old Jocky Petrie scored 13 goals for Arbroath F.C. in the first round of the 1885-86 Scottish Cup and held the record for most goals in a single game for more than half a century.
Youngest players in history to score a hat-trick[]
Ntinos Pontikas on his debut on 28 September 1996, scored his team's all 3 away goals in the fifth tier of the Greek championship breaking Pelé 's record set in 1957.[33]
Pelé scored his first hat-trick of his senior career in a friendly against Fabril de Lavras on 9 June 1957 and became the youngest player to achieve that feat.[34]
Youngest player to score a hat-trick for a national team[]
Lee Wai Tong's record still stands and only Pelé came the closest to break it (17 years and 241 days). Tong who is considered the best player in the Chinese football history scored the hat-trick on 24 May 1923 in the last match of the 1923 Far Eastern Games at Yahataya Park in Osaka.[35]
Gabriel Batistuta scored 3 goals against Greece on 21 June 1994 in the group stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup (that match was also Diego Maradona's last for Argentina) and 3 goals against Jamaica on 21 June 1994 in the group stage of the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Sandor Kocsis scored 3 goals against South Korea on 17 June 1954 and 4 goals against West Germany three days later, in the group stage of the 1954 FIFA World Cup. He was the first to set the record and has not been surpassed ever since.
Just Fontaine scored 3 goals against Paraguay on 8 June 1958 in the group stage of the 1954 FIFA World Cup and 4 goals against West Germany on 28 June in the 3d place match.
West Germany - Bulgaria 5-2, West Germany - Peru 3-1
2
Gerd Muller scored 3 goals against Bulgaria on 7 June 1970 (one by penalty) and 3 goals against Peru on 10 June in the group stage of the 1970 FIFA World Cup .
Player with most FIFA Confederations Cup hat-tricks[]
Pelé set the record 63 years ago, on 24 June 1958, after scoring Brazil's three out of five goals in the semifinal match against France in the 1958 FIFA World Cup. The Brazilian scored all his goals in the second half.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored all 3 goals for Portugal in a group stage match on 15 June 2018 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and became the competition's oldest hat-trick scorer.[36]
Player with most goals in a single FIFA World Cup match[]
Argentina - USA 11-2, Argentina - Belgium 6-3, Argentina - Egypt 6-0
3
Domingo Tarasconi scored 4 goals against USA on 29 May 1928 in the first round, 4 goals against Norway on 2 June in quarterfinals and 3 against Egypt in the semifinal of the 1928 Olympics .
Antonin Janda scored 3 goals against Yugoslavia on 28 August 1920 in the first round and 3 goals against Norway on 29 August in the quarterfinals of the 1920 Olympics .
Ferenc Bene scored Hungary's all 6 goals against Morocco on 11 October 1964 in the group stage and 4 goals against Norway on 20 October in the semifinals of the 1964 Olympics .
Players who scored the fastest hat-tricks in history[]
Player
Year of record
Score
Duration
Details
2013
Rawson Springs - Meadowhall 7-1
70 seconds
20-year old forward Alex Torr completed a hat-trick in 70 seconds in a match in the amateur English Sunday league of Sheffield 4 May 2013, breaking Magnus Arvidsson' 1995 record.[39]
Magnus Arvidsson
1995
Hassleholms IF - Landskrona 5-3
89 seconds
Magnus Arvidsson completed a hat-trick in 89 seconds in a match in the Swedish fourth tier and beat Tommy Ross' 1964 record for just one second.[40]
Tommy Ross scored a hat-trick in 90 seconds for Ross County against Nairn in the Scottish fifth division, on 28 November 1964 and held the world record for 31 years.[41]
Tottenham Hotspur's player Willie Hall scored 3 goals in three and a half minutes during England's friendly match against Northern Ireland on 16 November 1938, breaking Lee Wai Tong's record and that feat remains a world record on international level.[42]
Swiss female player Fabienne Humm scored the fastest hat-trick in women's football history, scoring three goals in five minutes on 12 May 2015 during the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup.[43]
Continental records[]
Michel Platini - the only player to score 2 hat-tricks in the European Championship
Thiago Neves Augusto - the only player to score a hat-trick in a Copa Libertadores final
Players in bold are still active.
Key
Player scored a hat-trick for the losing side
Player's team drew the match
Player with most hat-tricks in the European Championship[]
French midfielder Michel Platini is the only player who have scored 2 hat-tricks in the history of the European Championship. The first hat-trick was recorded against Belgium on 16 June 1984 in the group stage of the UEFA Euro 1984 and the second 3 days later against Yugoslavia.
Player with most hat-tricks in the Africa Cup of Nations[]
Hassan El-Shazlyis the only player who have scored 2 hat-tricks in the history of the African Cup. He scored 3 times against Nigeria on 24 November 1963 in the group stage of the 1963 Africa Cup of Nations and the same amount in the third place match of the 1970 1970 Africa Cup of Nations on 16 February.
Player with most hat-tricks in the Oceania Cup of Nations[]
Damian Mori is the only player who have scored 3 hat-tricks in a single tournament history of the Oceania Nations Cup, scoring 10 goals in those three matches in the 1998 OFC Nations Cup.
Players with most hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League[]
Lionel Messi scored 8 hat-tricks for FC Barcelona all in large-margin home wins (24 goals in 8 games)
Cristiano Ronaldo
2012-2019
8
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 7 hat-tricks for Real Madrid CF and 1 for Juventus. All were scored home, 6 of them in large-margin wins and 2 in the knock-out stages. The Portuguese also holds the record for more hat-tricks in one season (3 in 2015-16).
Players with most hat-tricks in the Copa Libertadores[]
Luis Artime scored 1 hat-trick for Club Atletico Independiente, and 2 for Nacional de Montevideo. He scored 3 goals in an away win and 6 in home victories.
Ricardo Goulart scored 3 hat-tricks for Guangzhou F.C. all in home wins (10 goals in 3 games)
Adriano
2016-2018
3
Adriano scored 2 hat-tricks for FC Seoul and 1 for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC all in home wins (10 goals in 3 games)
Youngest hat-trick scorer in the UEFA Champions League[]
Player
Year of record
Age
Score
Goals
Details
Raul
1995
18 years and 114 days
Real Madrid CF - Ferencvarosi TC 6-1
3
Raul set his record 26 years ago after scored a hat-trick in the group stage on 18 October 1995. Since then only Rodrygo came close when he scored 3 goals for Real Madrid against Galatasaray in the group stage on 7 November 2019, at the age of 18 years and 301 days.
Oldest hat-trick scorer in the UEFA European Cup[]
Player
Year of record
Age
Score
Goals
Details
Ferenc Puskas
1965
38 years and 173 days
Real Madrid - Feyenoord 5-0
4
Ferenc Puskas holds the record of the oldest hat-trick scored in the history of the competition since 22 September 1965 during the second leg of the preliminary round.[44]
Oldest hat-trick scorer in the UEFA Champions League[]
Player
Year of record
Age
Score
Goals
Details
Karim Benzema
2022
34 years and 80 days
Real Madrid - PSG 3-1
3
Karim Benzema became the oldest hat-trick scorer after scoring 3 goals in the second leg of the knock-out round match on 9 March 2022.[45]
Players to score a hat-trick in a continental club final[]
Thiago Neves is the only player to score a hat-trick in a Copa Libertadores Final final after hitting the net 3 times in the 2nd final of the 2008 Copa Libertadores Finals 2 July 2008.[46]
Sergio Ricardo scored all Hilal's 3 goals, including the winner in the extra time in the final of the 1999-2000 Asian Club Championship on 22 April 2000.