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The UEFA Champions League has always been the ultimate stage for the world’s best footballers to showcase their skills and compete against the very best.
One of the most coveted achievements in the competition is scoring a hat-trick, which is when a player scores three goals in a single match.
While scoring one hat-trick in the Champions League is a remarkable feat, scoring multiple hat-tricks puts a player in a league of their own.
In this article, we’re going to take a look at the top 5 hat-trick scorers in the history of the competition.
These players have etched their names in Champions League history by consistently producing remarkable performances on the biggest stage of them all.
From Ronaldo to Messi, these players have shown their class time and time again, breaking records and leaving fans in awe with their incredible scoring prowess.
Get ready to be amazed as we count down the top 5 hat-trick scorers in UEFA Champions League history.
Criteria for Selecting Top 5 Hat-Trick Scorers
To determine the top 5 hat-trick scorers in UEFA Champions League history, we looked at the number of hat-tricks scored by each player.
We also considered the quality of the opposition, the number of matches played, and the impact of the hat-tricks on the player’s team. We excluded players who scored hat-tricks in the qualifying rounds of the competition, as these matches are not considered part of the main tournament.
Lionel Messi – The Highest Hat-Trick Scorer in UCL
Lionel Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time.
The Argentine has won the Ballon d’Or award a record six times and has scored over 700 goals in his career.
Messi has also been incredibly prolific in the Champions League, scoring a total of 8 hat-tricks in the competition.
This is the most by any player in the history of the tournament.
Messi’s first Champions League hat-trick came in 2010, when he scored three goals for Barcelona in a 4-1 win against Arsenal.
He scored his most recent hat-trick in 2019, in a 4-0 win against PSV Eindhoven.
Messi’s hat-tricks have come against some of the best teams in Europe, including Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich. Messi’s ability to score hat-tricks in big matches has helped Barcelona win the tournament four times during his career.
Cristiano Ronaldo – Second-Highest Hat-Trick Scorer in Champions League
Cristiano Ronaldo is another player who is often mentioned in discussions about the greatest footballers of all time.
The Portuguese forward has won the Ballon d’Or award five times and has scored over 700 goals in his career.
Ronaldo has also been incredibly prolific in the Champions League, scoring a total of 7 hat-tricks in the competition.
This is the second-most by any player in the history of the tournament.
Ronaldo’s first Champions League hat-trick came in 2012, when he scored three goals for Real Madrid in a 4-0 win against Ajax.
He scored his most recent hat-trick in 2019, in a 3-0 win against Atletico Madrid.
Ronaldo’s hat-tricks have come against some of the best teams in Europe, including Manchester United, Juventus, and Bayern Munich. Ronaldo’s ability to score hat-tricks in big matches helped Real Madrid win the tournament four times during his career.
Robert Lewandowski – Third-Highest Hat-Trick Scorer
Robert Lewandowski is one of the best strikers in the world and has been in tremendous form in recent years.
The Polish forward has won the Golden Boot award in the Bundesliga four times and has scored over 500 goals in his career.
Lewandowski has also been prolific in the Champions League, scoring a total of 5 hat-tricks in the competition.
This is the third-most by any player in the history of the tournament.
Lewandowski’s first Champions League hat-trick came in 2013, when he scored three goals for Borussia Dortmund in a 4-1 win against Real Madrid.
He scored his most recent hat-trick in 2020, in a 6-0 win against Red Star Belgrade.
Lewandowski’s hat-tricks have come against some of the best teams in Europe, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Chelsea.
His ability to score hat-tricks in big matches has helped Bayern Munich win the tournament twice during his career.
Ruud van Nistelrooy – Fourth-Highest UCL Hat-Trick Scorer
Ruud van Nistelrooy is a former Dutch striker who is widely regarded as one of the best finishers in the history of the game.
Van Nistelrooy scored over 300 goals in his career, and he was particularly deadly in the Champions League.
The Dutchman scored a total of 4 hat-tricks in the competition, which is the fourth-most by any player in the history of the tournament.
Van Nistelrooy’s first Champions League hat-trick came in 2002, when he scored three goals for Manchester United in a 5-1 win against Sparta Prague.
He scored his most recent hat-trick in 2006, in a 4-0 win against Panathinaikos.
Van Nistelrooy’s hat-tricks came against some of the best teams in Europe, including AC Milan, Olympiakos, and Fenerbahce.
His ability to score hat-tricks in big matches helped Manchester United reach the final of the tournament in 2008.
Karim Benzema – Fifth-Highest Hat-Trick Scorer in Champions League
Karim Benzema is a French striker who has been an integral part of Real Madrid’s success in the Champions League in recent years.
Benzema has won the tournament four times during his career, and he has scored a total of 4 hat-tricks in the competition.
This is the fifth-most by any player in the history of the tournament.
Benzema’s first Champions League hat-trick came in 2010, when he scored three goals for Lyon in a 4-0 win against Debrecen.
He scored his most recent hat-trick in 2019, in a 5-0 win against Viktoria Plzen.
Benzema’s hat-tricks have come against some of the best teams in Europe, including Bayern Munich, Ajax, and APOEL.
HisBenzema’s ability to score hat-tricks in big matches has helped Real Madrid win the tournament four times during his career.
Other Notable Hat-Trick Scorers in Champions League
While the top 5 hat-trick scorers in the history of the Champions League are certainly impressive, there have been many other players who have scored multiple hat-tricks in the competition.
Some notable players include Samuel Eto’o, Filippo Inzaghi, and Andriy Shevchenko, who each scored 3 hat-tricks in the tournament.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Mario Gomez, and Neymar have each scored 4 hat-tricks, while Marco van Basten and Gerd Muller scored 2 hat-tricks each.
Comparison of the Top 5 Hat-Trick Scorers
When we compare the top 5 hat-trick scorers in the history of the Champions League, it’s clear that Messi and Ronaldo are in a league of their own.
These two players have scored more hat-tricks than anyone else in the competition, and they have both been incredibly consistent in their performances.
Lewandowski is the only player in the top 5 who is still active, and he has the potential to climb higher up the list in the coming years.
Van Nistelrooy and Benzema may not be as prolific as Messi and Ronaldo, but they were still incredibly effective in the competition and played key roles in their teams’ success.
Conclusion
Scoring a hat-trick in the Champions League is a remarkable achievement, and scoring multiple hat-tricks is even more impressive. The top 5 hat-trick scorers in the history of the competition have all etched their names in the record books and will be remembered as some of the greatest players to ever grace the tournament.
From Messi to Ronaldo, these players have shown their class time and time again, breaking records and leaving fans in awe with their incredible scoring prowess. As the Champions League continues to evolve, it will be exciting to see which players will emerge as the next great hat-trick scorers.
