Soccer (Football)
9 of the greatest hat-tricks in football history
We pick football’s most notable hat-tricks – including one the scorer will want forgotten in a hurry.
All hat-tricks are great (well, almost all of them) but some are more notable than others.
In honour of New York Red Bulls hero Bradley Wright-Phillips, who made it into MLS folklore this weekend with a 27-minute flurry against Toronto, here we take a look at the landmark hat-tricks in soccer history.
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1. Bradley Wright-Phillips
Game: New York Red Bulls 3-0 Toronto FC When: May 28, 2016 Why is it special? The fastest hat-trick in MLS history
Blistering, rapid, relentless. They’re three words to characterise New York Red Bulls’ performances in their last three games – and also to perfectly describe BWP’s three-goal haul this weekend. After leading his side to a 7-0 thrashing of rivals New York City FC last week, the striker wasted no time getting back into the groove – snatching his first on just four minutes. And 23 minutes – or 1380 seconds – later, he’d already put his name on the match ball, and into the history books.
2. Rivaldo
So deadly he even put himself in the net
© Michael Steele/Getty Images
Game: FC Barcelona 3-2 Valencia CF When: June 17, 2001 Why is it special? It was the definition of a one-player performance
It’s often said that one player doesn’t make a team – but in this game, Rivaldo proved that theory wrong, putting in a solo shift so supreme that it could pull any side to victory. As FC Barcelona prepared to drop the curtain on a miserable season, they needed victory in their final game of the campaign in order to book their place in the Champions League the following season. Enter: Rivaldo. With a trio of unstoppable hits, including a gravity-defying overhead kick at the death, he single-handedly saved the Catalans’ campaign.
3. José Luis Chilavert
Wait... if he's there, who's in the GOAL?!
© Sandra Behne/Getty Images
Game: Vélez Sarsfield 6-1 Ferro Carril Oeste When: November 28, 1999 Why is it special? Um, he’s a goalkeeper
Yes, you read that right. Scoring isn’t exactly in the goalkeeper’s handbook – but then again, José Chilavert never was one to play by the rules. In fact, the Paraguayan free-kick expert hit 68 goals in his career, and boasts nerves of steel as well as twinkle toes, as shown by this trio of spot-kicks which won him a unique record.
4. Wayne Rooney
What a way to make an entrance
© Tom Purslow/Getty Images
Game: Manchester United 6-2 Fenerbahçe When: September 28, 2004 Why is it special? It was Rooney’s Manchester United debut
You only get one chance to make a first impression – especially after you’ve just been signed for a massive €33 million – and the then-19-year-old hotshot made an epic impact in his first 90 minutes in a United shirt. Over 11 years and 240 goals later, he’s still tearing up the hallowed Old Trafford turf. Oh, and he’s England’s all-time record scorer, too. No biggy.
5. Geoff Hurst
They think it's all over...
© Cattani/Getty Images
Game: England 4-2 West Germany (AET) When: July 30, 1966 Why is it special? The only hat-trick ever scored in a World Cup Final
If you’ve never heard about this goalfest, you’ve probably never been to England. Some 50 years on, the Wembley miracle is still the proudest day in the national game’s history – and Geoff Hurst is the man at the centre of it all. But it wasn’t as simple as one, two, three: his second strike, which bounced off the bar, down onto the line and back onto the pitch, has been the subject of hot debate ever since. Officially? It counted – and I suppose that’s all that matters.
6. Stan van den Buys
'Stan, we're kicking THAT way'
© Photonews/Getty Images
Game: Germinal Ekeren 2-3 Anderlecht When: January 1995 Why is it special? It was a hat-trick of own goals
Now, if Stan wanted to put in a memorable performance in this Belgian Pro League outing, he certainly achieved his target – notching three strikes for Anderlecht. The only problem? He was playing for Germinal Ekeren! We’ve all had a bad day at work, but not many of us have to do it in front of thousands of – let’s face it, probably laughing – spectators. Not exactly one for the fridge, eh Stan?
7. Bert Patenaude
Bert liked hat tricks before they were so popular
© Popperfoto/Getty Images
Game: USA 3-0 Paraguary When: July 17, 1930 Why is it special? The first hat-trick in World Cup history
You’ve probably never heard of Bert Patenaude – but, since 2006, he’s officially been the first player ever to bag a treble at the biggest tournament in football. Why so late, you ask? Well, it took 86 years for FIFA to recognise his achievement, as the second goal in his heroic haul that day was wrongly credited to his team-mate – which proves that even 18,000 spectators and the world’s media can’t prevent a case of mistaken identity.
8. Márcio Richardes
Top corner, here I come!
© The Asahi Shimbun/Getty Images
Game: Vegalta Sendai 2-3 Albirex Niigata When: July 24, 2010 Why is it special? It was the perfect dead-ball hat-trick: one penalty, one free-kick and one corner kick.
We all love dead-ball drama: players praying, kissing the leather, pushing for every centimetre in the search for a top-corner thunderbolt. But few can boast the eagle-eyed execution of Brazilian baller Marcio Richardes. Converting one penalty, one long-range free-kick and – bizarrely – a corner kick, the Samba star grabbed victory for his side Albirex Niigata while showing the composure of a Formula 1 driver, the swerve of a downhill slalom skier and the precision of an air racer.
9. Cristiano Ronaldo
A strike so sweet even Ronaldo couldn't believe it
© Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images
Game: Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg When: April 12, 2016 Why is it special? It took Ronaldo to 37 hat-tricks for Real Madrid – the most of any player in Europe
“Goalscoring is in my DNA,” says the perfectly-preened Portuguese – and although we’re not exactly scientists, it’s hard to disagree on this evidence. The Real Madrid maestro has smashed a massive 37 hat-tricks since moving to Spain seven years ago, a stat that makes him the most deadly forward in the European leagues. And you bet he’s likely to add to that tally in the European Championships this summer. That’s why he’s rumoured to have a €1 billion buy-out clause. Ouch.