The Premier League has been home to some of the greatest goalscorers in Europe over the past several decades. Scoring in such a combative and physical league is hard, let alone bagging three goals in a game.
Hat-tricks are entertaining to watch and the PL has always delivered in that regard. Seven hat-tricks have been scored this season alone.
Over the years, several players have achieved this feat in the Premier League, but only five have managed to score hat-tricks for three different clubs. Their names are now etched in the Premier League history books.
Without further ado, here are the five players that scored hat-tricks for three different PL clubs.
#5 Yakubu: Portsmouth, Everton, Blackburn
Nigerian forward Yakubu joined the Premier League in January 2003. He signed for Portsmouth on a loan deal. The Nigerian striker scored seven goals in 14 appearances to help the Pompey avoid relegation and was soon signed permanently.
Yakubu scored hat-tricks in back-to-back games for the Pompey. The first came in the final match of the 2003-04 season against Middlesbrough. The second came on the opening weekend in a 4-3 win over Fulham.
He joined Middlesbrough the following season. After spending three seasons with them, Yakubu moved to Everton. Fulham were once again on the receiving end of another Yakubu hat-trick in the 2007-08 season.
He later left Everton to join Blackburn Rovers after that. His Rovers hat-trick came against Swansea City in the 2011-12 season. He scored three goals in a 4-2 win.
#4 Kevin Campbell: Arsenal, Everton, and Nottingham Forest
Kevin Campbell began his career with Arsenal by coming through their youth ranks. He was third in the pecking order behind Ian Wright and Paul Merson. However, Campbell was a more than reliable player for the Gunners.
He got his first hat-trick against Ipswich Town in the 1993-94 season. He scored another hat-trick for the Gunners against Swindown Town in the same season. Campbell left Arsenal in 1995 to join Nottingham Forest after notching up 52 strikes in 193 appearances for the north London side.
Campbell had a poor outing at Forest but did manage to score a hat-trick against Coventry City. He scored all three goals in Forest's win on the opening day of the 1996-97 season.
Campbell left England to join Turkish side Trabzonspor. He returned to England after joining Everton in 1999. He scored a hat-trick for the Toffees in the 1999-00 season against West Ham United.
#3 Les Ferdinand: QPR, Newcastle United, and Tottenham Hotspur
Les Ferdinand burst on to the English football scene along with other honed strikers like Alan Shearer, Ian Wright, Robbie Fowler and Teddy Sheringham. The Englishman was a sharp shooter and a smart negotiator inside the box.
He scored two hat-tricks in his debut season in 1992-93. The first came against Nottingham Forest and the next against Everton. He became the first player to score two hat-tricks in two consecutive games in PL. He ended the season with 20 goals and was the second highest-scorer in the Premier League that season.
He left Queens Park Rangers and joined Newcastle United in the summer of 1995. He scored 25 goals for the Magpies in his debut season, which included one hat-trick against Wimbledon. Alan Shearer took over the duties of the first-team striker soon after.
Tottenham Hotspur signed Ferdinand in the summer of 1997. He spent six years with the north London club, scoring 38 goals for them. It included a hat-trick against Leicester City.
#2 Teddy Sheringham: Tottenham, Manchester United, Portsmouth
Manchester United fans will remember Teddy Sheringham with a lot of fondness. He was one of the deadliest strikers in the Premier League. The centre-forward played over 400 games in the league and scored 146 goals for five different clubs.
He joined Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 1992. He scored his first Spurs hat-trick against Leeds United in the 1992-93 season. He scored his second hat-trick for Tottenham against Newcastle in the 4-2 win in the 1994-95 season.
He joined the Red Devils in the 1997-98 season. He only scored the one hat-trick for them in the 5-0 thrashing of Southampton in the 2000-01 season.
After four years at Old Trafford, he rejoined Spurs before switching to Portsmouth. Sheringham became the oldest player to net a Premier League hat-trick when he struck thrice against Bolton Wanderers at the age of 37 in the 2003-04 season.
#1 Nicolas Anelka: Arsenal, Man City, and Chelsea
Nicolas Anelka has played for various clubs around the world. He joined Arsenal at the age of 17. He had a memorable debut season, scoring 17 goals to help the Gunners win the Premier League title. He scored a hat-trick in their 5-0 win over Leicester City that season (1996-97).
Anelka then moved to Real Madrid, PSG and Liverpool before joining Manchester City in 2002. The French forward scored his first City hat-trick in their 4-1 win over Aston Villa in the 2003-04 season.
Anelka left City to join Fenerbahce in search of Champions League football. He returned to England after signing for Bolton Wanderers in 2006. Anelka then joined Chelsea in 2008.
The Frrenchman had a decent 2008-09 season, where he scored 19 goals, including a hat-trick in Chelsea's 5-0 win over Sunderland.