Top 10 Players with Most Hat-Trick in Football History: In the history of football, there have been several remarkable players who have showcased exceptional goal-scoring prowess.
One way to measure a player’s scoring ability is by looking at the number of hat-tricks they have achieved throughout their career. A hat-trick is a term used when a player scores three goals in a single match. It’s a rare and impressive feat that demonstrates a player’s skill, accuracy, and ability to make a significant impact on a game.
Here are some of the players with the most hat-tricks in football history:
- Lionel Messi: The Argentine forward, who has played for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, holds the record for the most hat-tricks in football history. As of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021, Messi had scored 54 hat-tricks in his career.
- Cristiano Ronaldo: The Portuguese forward, who has played for several clubs including Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, is also known for his prolific goal-scoring. As of September 2021, Ronaldo had scored 56 hat-tricks.
- Pelé: The Brazilian football legend is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. During his career, which primarily spanned from 1956 to 1977, Pelé scored a remarkable number of goals and recorded 31 hat-tricks.
- Ferenc Puskás: The Hungarian forward, who played for Budapest Honvéd and Real Madrid, is regarded as one of the greatest goalscorers of all time. Puskás scored 29 hat-tricks throughout his career.
- Gerd Müller: The German striker, who played for Bayern Munich and the German national team, was known for his clinical finishing. Müller recorded 32 hat-tricks during his career.
Top 10 Players with Most Hat-Trick in Football History
Active players with most hat-tricks
Cristiano Ronaldo (2008–2023) = 62
- Cristiano Ronaldo holds the record for the active player with most hat-tricks.
Lionel Messi (2007–2023) = 57
- Lionel Messi has scored 57 hat-tricks in his career for Barcelona and Argentina.
Players who scored most hat-tricks for a national team
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 Luxembourg, breaking Sven Rydell’s record.
Sven Rydell (1924–1932) = 9
- Sven Rydell became the first player to score 9 international hat-tricks on 16 May 1932 in Sweden’s 7–1 victory over Finland, breaking Poul Nielsen’s record. His record lasted for 89 years.
Lionel Messi (2012–2023) = 9
- Lionel Messi became the third player to score 9 international hat-tricks on 29 March 2023 in Argentina’s 7–0 victory over Curaçao.
Poul Nielsen (1913–1921) = 8
- Poul Nielsen became the first player to score 8 international hat-tricks on 2 October 1921 in Denmark’s 3–1 victory over Norway. His record lasted for 11 years.
Ali Daei (1996–2004) = 8
- Ali Daei scored 8 international hat-tricks.
Pelé (1958–1964) = 7
- Pelé holds the record for the most hat-tricks scored by a Brazilian player, with 7. One of those hat-tricks was scored in the 1958 World Cup semi-final against France; he later scored a brace against Sweden in the final in which Brazil won with a 5-2 result
Goalkeepers who scored a hat-trick
Ilija Pantelic 1963 (NK Trešnjevka 0–3 FK Vojvodina) 3
- Ilija Pantelic, was the first goalkeeper to score a hat-trick (all by penalties) in the 1962-63 Yugoslav first division.
José Luis Chilavert 1999 (Vélez Sársfield 6–1 Ferro Carril Oeste) 3
- José Luis Chilavert scored a hat-trick of penalties for Vélez Sársfield on 28 November 1999 in the Argentine torneo Clausura
Grigorios Athanasiou 2022 (Pavlos Melas Stavroupoli 3–0 Aetos Vassilikon) 3
- Grigorios Athanasiou scored a hat-trick of penalties on 12 February 2022 in the Greek fourth division.
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