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The Champions League returned with a bang yesterday as European heavyweights resumed their intense battle in the prestigious tournament. With a total of 16 goals recorded from eight fixtures, it wouldn't be far-fetched to say the goalscorers ran the show.
Scoring a goal in the Champions League is indeed an incredible feat for many players. But it is no big deal to some superstars who have enjoyed prolific outings in the tournament for several years.
Players who belong in this category usually set a target for themselves to score as many goals as possible in every game. That has inspired them to bag three or more goals in single games in the European competition and enter the record books as a result.
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Although it's quite a big task, some of these superstars have done that on multiple occasions in their careers. To honor them, we decided to compile a list of five players with the most hat-tricks in Champions League history. They are as follows:
#5 Neymar (3 UCL hat-tricks)
The Brazilian bagged his first Champions League hat-trick for Barcelona in a 6-1 triumph over Celtic on December 11, 2013. Ever since then, he's enjoyed prolific outings in Europe and has added two more to his name.
Neymar's second UCL hat-trick was scored for Paris Saint-Germain against Red Star Belgrade on October 3, 2018. He also bagged another one for the Ligue 1 giants as they crushed İstanbul Basaksehir in the group stage last year. This season presents him with a chance to add more to his tally.
#4 Luiz Adriano (3 UCL hat-tricks)
Despite not being as famous as the other players on this list, Brazilian forward Luiz Adriano has some incredible Champions League records to his name. The attacker has scored the highest number of goals in a single Champions League game (5), a record he shares with Lionel Messi.
Adriano is also the first footballer to score back-to-back hat-tricks in the European tournament. The striker has a total record of three Champions League hat-tricks in his career, all scored during his time with Shakhtar Donetsk.
He bagged the first one against Nordsjælland on November 20, 2012. He then shocked the football world by scoring back-to-back hat-tricks versus BATE Borisov in 2014. It is unlikely we'll see the attacker participate in a UCL game anymore. He left Europe in 2019 to return to the Brazilian league, where he signed a four-year deal with Palmeiras.
(Note: Filippo Inzaghi and Mario Gomez also scored three Champions League hat-tricks but are both retired)
#3 Robert Lewandowski (3 UCL hat-tricks)
Arguably the best striker in the world at the moment, it is no surprise to see Robert Lewandowski on this list. The striker has been a beast in front of goal over the last few seasons. The Champions League is one of the competitions in which he always steps up to the plate.
The Polish international joined the UCL hat-trick group when he scored four goals for Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid in the 2013/2014 semifinals. After joining Bayern Munich, he bagged another one against Dinamo Zagreb on September 29, 2015.
Robert Lewandowski's most recent Champions League hat-trick came during the Bavarians' 6-0 victory over Red Star Belgrade on November 26, 2019. With the striker still firing on all cylinders, he'll surely add more to his name before calling time on his career.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (8 UCL hat-tricks)
When it comes to stepping up and scoring hat-tricks on the biggest Champions League nights, no one does it better than Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese has scored three or more goals in Europe's elite tournament on eight occasions so far in his career.
CR7 bagged his first Champions League hat-trick for Real Madrid against Ajax in 2012. Since then, he's also reached the feat against the likes of Galatasaray, Shaktar Donetsk, Malmo, Wolfsburg, Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid.
It is worth noting that Ronaldo is the all-time scorer in the history of the tournament, with 135 goals to his name in 177 games. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner opened his account for the season with a brilliant effort in Manchester United's 2-1 loss to Young Boys on Tuesday.
#1 Lionel Messi (8 UCL hat-tricks)
Lionel Messi became the first player in Champions League history to bag eight hat-tricks when he fired three past PSV Eindhoven on September 18, 2018. It is just proof of the Argentine's unmatchable brilliance in front of goal over the years.
The six-time Ballon d'Or winner began his UCL hat-trick journey against Arsenal on April 6, 2010. Since then, the likes of Viktoria Plzen, Bayer Leverkusen, Ajax, APOEL, Celtic and Manchester City have also conceded three or more goals against the playmaker.
It is worth noting that Lionel Messi is the second-highest goalscorer in Champions League history, with a whopping 120 goals to his name in 149 appearances. With the Argentine still going strong, he will likely bag a couple more hat-tricks in the European tournament before hanging his boots.
