10 iconic hat-tricks by modern-day superstars

Hat-trick heroes of modern-day footballHat-trick- The term was first coined in 1858 to describe H H Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets with three consecutive deliveries in a cricket match. A collection was held to reward Stephenson for his unique feat and he was subsequently presented with a hat for his troubles.Ever since Stephenson received his ‘hat’ for his ‘trick’, the term has found its way into multiple sporting disciplines including football.Football is all about goals and what can be better than a player scoring three of them in a game. When it comes to individual glory for a player, nothing beats a well-taken hat-trick.There has been quite a few hat-tricks in football over the years and to pick up a few of them to be the best will be a futile exercise to attempt.However, Sportskeeda attempts to list 10 hat-tricks in recent memory by some of the modern stars of the game which might be considered special owing to circumstances, impact or just pure execution.Please do feel free to discuss your favourite of the bunch or the ones you would like to see added to the list.

#1 Lionel Messi vs Real Madrid (2007)

Lionel Messi might be arguably the best player in the world today, but there was a time the Argentine used to be just another talented youngster.

Messi’s maiden first team hat-trick came in an El Classico against Real Madrid in 2007. A 19-year-old Messi scored thrice to equalize against the Los Blancos at Camp Nou. The last goal in the final minute of the match came when Barca were down to 10 men. The match ended 3-3.

Messi may have scored 31 more hat-tricks since for Barcelona but none will be remembered quite as fondly as his first one and that too in an El Classico. The hat-trick truly announced the arrival of a new superstar on the world stage.

Watch 19-year-old Messi tear through the Real Madrid defence here.

#2 Dennis Bergkamp vs Leicester City (1997)

The Premier League hat-trick by Dennis Bergkamp might not have a lot of importance associated with it, but the grace and beauty are unparalleled.

The first goal was a 30-yard curler from the edge of the box after a corner kick. The second was an exhibition of instinctive finish along with a bit of luck and the third was poetry in motion.

Going by the Dutchman’s own words, “In football you have certain things in your mind which you want to achieve. In my mind I knew I wanted to do it like that and it worked exactly as I had planned it just two seconds before. With these sorts of goals there is a lot of skill involved and it has to come together.” They really did in all three cases.

The three goals won 1st, 2nd and 3rd positions in Goal of the Month award. In which order? You can guess.

You certainly don’t want to miss this one.

#3 Rivaldo vs Valencia (2002)

On the final day of the 2001-02 season, Barcelona needed a win against Valencia to qualify for the Champions League. While Valencia only needed a draw.

Up stepped Rivaldo with all his grace and skill. The Brazilian’s first goal was a swerving free-kick from distance. A defiant Valencia equalized with Ruben Baraja.

Rivaldo hit back with a cracking low 25-yarder to bring everybody at Camp Nou on their feet but Baraja equalised again.

With 90 seconds to go, came the show-stopper; the perfectly executed overhead kick from the edge of the box. Baraja neither had the time or the audacity to respond. Barca won 3-2 and were in the Champions League.

Watch the three most perfectly executed goals in any hat-trick you will ever see.

#4 Ronaldo vs Manchester United Champions League (2003)

Real Madrid travelled to Old Trafford to face Manchester United with a comfortable 3-1 lead from the first leg at Santiago Bernabeu. However knowing the capacity of perseverance of a Sir Alex Ferguson managed Manchester United, nothing was impossible

A few years before Old Trafford began basking in the glory of one Cristiano Ronaldo, it witnessed the genius of a completely different Ronaldo first hand.

For his first goal, he latched onto a pass from Guti and beat United keeper Fabien Barthez with an early, near-post bullet. The second was the perfect example of the Galacticos teamwork.

And the third was an unstoppable 25-yarder that put Real 3-2 up. A late flurry by United saw the Red Devils rally to a 4-3 win, but Real had already booked their place in the semi-finals owing to Ronaldo’s three gorgeous goals.

Watch the hat-trick unfold.

#5 Cristiano Ronaldo vs Sweden (2013)

Ronaldo might have a few brilliant hat-tricks during his time at Manchester United and Real Madrid but perhaps his best treble came playing in the colours of his country.

Portugal and Sweden squared off in the knockout game of the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Portugal went into the second game at Stockholm carrying a 1-0 lead from the first leg at Lisbon.

Ronaldo’s early goal meant the Portuguese were sitting comfortably until Sweden’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck twice to give Sweden the shock lead and make Portugal’s slot in Brazil very shaky.

Ronaldo came up with a captain’s performance and scored two late goals to give Portugal a 3-2 win and book his country a ticket to football’s biggest global showpiece.

Here’s Ronaldo’s remarkable hat-trick

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#6 Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs England (2012)

It might have been only an international friendly, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s demolition of England in 2012 is bound to be one of the most dominant performances by a single player in any match.

The indomitable Swede started off the riot on the 19th minute with an instinctive finish from near the goal. England equalized on the 35th minute through Danny Welback. Just two minute later, Steven Caulker headed in a Steven Gerrard free kick to put the three-lions into the lead.

England held on till the 76th minute before the Zlatan show began. A volleyed finish after chesting down the ball was followed by a 40-yard belter of a free-kick.

Zlatan had completed his hat-trick, Sweden had almost won, but the show didn’t stop. On the 90th minute Zlatan came up with what perhaps is the most ludicrous overhead kick seen in football. His 30-yard bicycle kick defied gravity to find the goal over a flabbergasted Joe Hart.

Watch the amazing Zlatan trick here.

#7 Robin van Persie vs Olympiakos (2014)

The only positive of a dismal David Moyes era at Old Trafford after Sir Alex Ferguson retired was a decent Champions League run.

The run seemed to have come to an abrupt halt after losing 2-0 in the round-of-16 first leg to Olympiakos in Greece.

Needing to win by three goals to qualify for the next round, Manchester United looked to their flying Dutchman for answers. Robin van Persie, who at the time was subject to a lot of criticism for his performances in the league, showed his class.

In the return leg at Old Trafford, Van Persie was at his best and scored the opener through a penalty after winning it himself. He added a perfect poacher’s finish just before the half-time.

After the break, the Dutchman scored a vintage left-footed free-kick to complete his hat-trick. United won 3-0 and progressed to the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Watch all three goals here.

#8 Gareth Bale vs Inter Milan 2010

Noone really gave Tottenham a chance when they travelled to San Siro for a Champions League tie against a mighty Inter Milan team boasting the likes of Wesley Sneijder and Samuel Eto’o.

The fears turned into reality when Javier Zanetti opened the floodgates just after 68 seconds. A nightmarish second half saw Tottenham go down to 10 men and going into the break 4-0 down.

But what the second half produced would go down in the pages of Champions League history. A 20-year-old Welsh winger terrorized the mighty Italians and almost denied them the win.

The match might have ended 4-3, but Gareth Bale’s pace and power was on the show that night. Bale scored three unbelievable goals on the 52nd, 90th and stoppage time to give the English side a respectable scoreline.

Bale never looked back and that hat-trick marks the rise of the most expensive player in world football today.

Watch Bale’s remarkable solo effort here.

#9 Sergio Aguero vs Bayern Munich (2015)

Manchester City hosted the mighty Bayern Munich in what was a must-win match if the Manchester Blues had any chance of progressing from the group stages of the 2014-15 Champions League.

The night could hardly have started better for City as Bayern’s Medhi Benatia was shown a straight red for bringing Aguero down inside the penalty box on the 20th-minute mark. The Argentine coolly dispatched the spot-kick.

What ensued after that was a tale of two five minutes. Bayern’s Xabi Alonso restored parity through a brilliant free-kick on the 39th minute and five minutes later a looping Robert Lewandowski header gave the Germans a 2-1 lead.

City despite of dominating possession couldn’t break down the 10 man Bayern until the 85th minute. Aguero ran onto a long ball and slotted in calmly. Five minutes later Aguero struck again to complete the hat-trick and give City a much needed win.

Watch the hat-trick here.

#10 Andrey Arshavin vs Liverpool (2009)

When Andrey Arshavin arrived at Arsenal from Zenit in the winter of 2009, he was one of the hottest properties in Europe. The Russian went on to have a mixed career in England but his quality and class has always been undeniable

Perhaps Arshavin’s best moment in an Arsenal shirt was in 2009 in Anfield against Liverpool. Only three months into his career at England, the Russian scored not thrice but four times in a thrilling 4-4 draw against Liverpool who were the League leaders at the time.

Arshavin was unstoppable on the day and is largely responsible for one of the most entertaining Premier League clashes of all time.

Here’s a look at the goals.