Top 5 players with most UEFA Champions League Hat-tricks; check out for your favourite player

By
Jehan Mucadum
-
       

Most UCL Hat-tricks: Scoring a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League is a difficult ask given the quality of opponents one faces across Europe.

The Champions League consists of only top teams. Hence, one needs to be ready for the occasion and stamp their authority.

A hat-trick against some of Europe’s best is an achievement which any player would look forward to having in his C.V and some have done so.

It is those players who absorb the pressure and strike when required to that are able to enter this elite list and create a mark for themselves and the team.

This section looks at the top 5 players with the most hat-tricks in the UEFA Champions League competition.

Mario Gomez

ImageMario Gomez has scored three hat-tricks in the competition, all of whom have come for Bayern Munich.

Gomez scored 26 goals in 44 appearances across 2 teams; VFB Stuttgart and Bayern Munich.

The German won the UEFA Champions League with the latter in the 2012-13 season, when they beat rivals, Dortmund at Wembley.

Out of the 26 Champions League strikes, 23 have come for Bayern Munich. The Hat-tricks were against CFR Cluj, Napoli and Basel

Mario was one of the most threatening strikes during his playing days, phenomenal in front of goal.

Filippo Inzaghi

ImageInzaghi is next in line with 3 hat-tricks scored in the competition across 2 teams; Juventus and Milan.

Nicknamed ‘Super Pippo’, Inzaghi found the net 46 times in 81 appearances which included 2 hat-tricks for Juventus and one for AC Milan.

His first UCL hat-trick came for Juventus in the 1997-98 Quarter-final vs Kyiv where Juventus triumphed 4-1.

This was followed by another one vs Hamburg in the 2000-01 season during the group stage.

The next and final one came in the 2002-03 season for Milan against Deportivo La Coruna in a 4-0 triumph.

Filippo won the UCL with Milan twice in his career (2002-03 and 2006-07).

Robert Lewandowski

Image

Also read: UCL news: Lewandowski breaks UCL record of fastest Hat-trick; check out the other players in list

Robert Lewandowski scored his 5th hat-trick of the competition last night in the 7-1 demolition job of Salzburg in the Round of 16.

This was his fourth in a Bayern shirt with 1 coming as a Dortmund player as well.

Lewandowski not only has the 3rd most hat-tricks but also the 3rd highest goals in the UCL being 85.

His first hat-trick was against Real Madrid in a 4-1 home win in the 1st leg of the 2012-13 UCL semi-finals.

The other 3 occasions prior to his treble last night were against Zagreb (2015), Red Star Belgrade (2019) and Benfica (earlier in 2021-22).

Cristiano Ronaldo

Image

Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo’s Top 5 favourite opponents in UCL; see who makes the cut

Consistent Cristiano Ronaldo finds himself in this elite list with 8 hat-tricks to his name in the UCL.

The record UCL goal-scorer is the man for the big occasions and has scored 7 of his 8 trebles with Real Madrid and 1 with the Bienconeri.

After his switch from United to Real Madrid, the Portuguese created an aura for himself particularly in this competition with jaw-dropping displays.

Ronaldo’s first hat-trick came against Ajax in 2012 before Galatasaray, Shakhtar, Malmo, Wolfsburg, Bayern and Atletico became his next victims.

The ones against Wolfsburg and Bayern were in knockout situations which shows his ability to absorb pressure.

But the crème-de-la-crème hat-trick came against his favourite, Atletico in a Juventus shirt in 2019 during the 2nd leg of the Round of 16 match.

After being 2-0 down from the 1st leg, Ronaldo stepped up with a hat-trick to help his side seal progress to the Q/F’s and shushing his critics.

Lionel Messi

Image

Also read: UCL news: Top 5 teams with most Round of 16 wins in UEFA Champions League

The ex-Barcelona forward too has hit 8 hat-tricks in the competition and is one of the greatest players of the Champions League.

He has innumerable records to his name in his career which includes this and being the highest scorer in the UCL for Barcelona with 120 strikes.

All of his hat-tricks have come for FC Barcelona during his 17-year stay stint.

The sufferers were Arsenal, Vitoria Pizen, Leverkusen, Ajax, APOEL, Monchengladbach, City and PSV as Lionel Messi made them pay.

Since 2018, Messi has not scored a hat-trick in the competition and aims to leave a mark this season with this new Parisian mates.


       

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR