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Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have been the two biggest names in football for almost two decades now. They have dominated in almost every competition and have been brutal with their approach.
It has been a blessing to have witnessed Ronaldo and Messi play. Both these players are still going strong and encouraging others to give their best in order to compete with them.
Ronaldo and Messi are the goats of football
Both Ronaldo and Messi have scored plenty of goals in their amazing football careers. At times, they have single-handedly managed to put the game to bed and assured victories for their respective teams.
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These superstars have gone on to score a number of hat-tricks in the process of helping their team. While it has not been possible to match their tally in this department, some of the top players have come close to that. Here, along with Ronaldo and Messi, we take a look at the active footballers who have scored the highest number of hat-tricks.
Note: Club and country-level hat-tricks are considered. All stats are as per Transfermarkt.
#5 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (20)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been fortunate enough to play for a number of top European clubs in his career. Most importantly, the Swedish striker has found success with almost every team that he has played for.
At the international level, Ibrahimovic has scored four hat-tricks for Sweden. At club level, he scored his first club hat-trick with Juventus. Surprisingly, he did not score a hat-trick whilst playing for Ajax, Barcelona or Inter Milan.
With AC Milan and Manchester United, Ibrahimovic scored a hat-trick each. His best spell of hat-tricks came with Paris Saint-Germain, with whom he scored 10. He scored three hat-tricks while playing for LA Galaxy in the MLS, taking his total tally to twenty career hat-tricks.
#4 Luis Suarez (29)
His career may have been filled with controversies, but it is also true that Luis Suarez is one of the most effective goal-scorers of his generation. With his smart positioning, amazing technique and clinical finishing, the Uruguayan has scored goals consistently in his career.
At the international level, Suarez has scored a hat-trick twice. He had a successful time at Ajax early in his club career as he scored nine hat-tricks. His impressive form with the Dutch team helped him earn a move to Liverpool, where he scored six hat-tricks.
Suarez's best spell came at Barcelona, where he earned plenty of success and accolades. During his time at the Catalan club, he scored 12 hat-tricks, taking his total tally to 29. He is yet to score a hat-trick for his current club Atletico Madrid.
#3 Robert Lewandowski (30)
Very few strikers have dominated in front of goal as much as Robert Lewandowski has in the last decade. The Poland captain has been an incredible force in the box and a clinical goalscorer.
Having enjoyed his breakthrough year at Borussia Dortmund, Lewandowski scored four hat-tricks for them, including one against Real Madrid in the Champions League. He then joined arch rivals Bayern Munich and has since become one of the best strikers in the world.
With the Bavarian club, Lewandowski has scored 20 hat-tricks so far, out of which four have come in the Champions League. The Polish striker has scored six hat-tricks for his country, taking his total tally to 30 so far.
#2 Lionel Messi (55)
There are not enough words that can describe the greatness of Lionel Messi. The Argentine superstar has been an absolute delight to watch and is easily one of the best players in the history of the game.
Messi has legendary status at Barcelona and rightly so, after what he has done for the club. During his time with the Catalan club, the left-footed forward scored 48 hat-tricks. Out of these, eight have come in the Champions League and 36 in La Liga.
For Argentina, Messi has scored seven hat-tricks, taking his total tally to 55. The Argentine attacker is yet to score a hat-trick for Paris-Saint Germain since joining them last summer.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo (60)
Very few players have shown as much consistency and character as Cristiano Ronaldo has throughout his football career. His never give up attitude has helped him do wonders on the pitch.
In his stellar career, the Portuguese captain has scored 10 hat-tricks for the national team. Ronaldo has scored 44 hat-tricks for Real Madrid, out of which 34 have come in La Liga.
He has scored three hat-tricks each for Juventus and Manchester United. With his total tally of 60 hat-tricks, he leads the chart among active players. Ronaldo's most recent hat-trick for the Red Devils against Norwich City just went on to show that he still has loads to offer, even at the age of 37.
