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Hat-tricks

57 vs 68. The only two men with more than 50 senior hat-tricks.

A career hat-trick total of 50+ is, on its own, a Hall-of-Fame number. Messi and Ronaldo are the only two men ever to clear it — and they cleared it years ago.

Messi · career hat-tricks

57

Including the only five-goal Champions League performance in history

Ronaldo · career hat-tricks

68

The most senior hat-tricks of any male footballer in history

Hat-tricks by competition

5 categories
57Total career hat-tricks6836Domestic league348Champions League811National team112Other competitionsCups, Supercups, FIFA Club World Cup.15

The two are tied on Champions League and national-team hat-tricks. Messi has a small edge in domestic-league hat-tricks. Ronaldo's lead comes mainly from cup competitions, super cups and the Saudi Pro League / Arab Club Championship.

Messi · selected hat-tricks

  • vs Real Madrid · La Liga

    19-year-old Messi scores three at the Camp Nou in a 3–3 with Real Madrid — his first senior hat-trick.

    3
  • vs Arsenal · UCL QF

    Four goals in 38 minutes at the Camp Nou. The night Messi announced himself in the Champions League.

    4
  • vs Bayer Leverkusen · UCL R16

    Five goals — still the only player to score five in a Champions League match.

    5
  • vs Real Madrid · La Liga

    Messi hat-trick at the Bernabéu in a 4–3 Barcelona win — Ronaldo also scored.

    3
  • vs Real Betis · La Liga

    Free-kick, header, and a tap-in — the variety hat-trick.

    3
  • vs Real Betis · La Liga

    A Panenka-style chipped free kick is one of the goals — applauded by the home crowd.

    3
  • vs Jamaica · International friendly

    Just shy of a hat-trick but the warm-up vs Jamaica before Qatar 2022 included two left-footed free-kick goals.

    2
  • vs Curaçao · International friendly

    Three goals in 22 first-half minutes as Argentina mark Messi's 800th-goal milestone.

    3

Ronaldo · selected hat-tricks

  • vs Newcastle · Premier League

    First senior hat-trick — a typical 6–0 Manchester United away day.

    3
  • vs Mallorca · La Liga

    Four goals in his debut Real Madrid season. The Bernabéu's first Ronaldo poker.

    4
  • vs Manchester United · UCL R16

    Not a hat-trick — but his return-to-Old-Trafford goal in a 2–1 Madrid win is one of the most loaded single goals of his career.

    1
  • vs Granada · La Liga

    Five goals in 30 minutes — only the third Madrid player ever to score five in a top-flight match.

    5
  • vs Juventus · UCL final

    Two goals in the 4–1 Cardiff final — completes the UCL three-peat.

    2
  • vs Spain · World Cup group

    Three goals in Portugal 3–3 Spain, including a 88th-minute free kick. Defining performance of a World Cup he didn't win.

    3
  • vs Atlético Madrid · UCL R16

    Single-handedly overturns a 2–0 first-leg deficit for Juventus.

    3
  • vs Al Mokawloon · Arab Club Championship

    Four-goal haul at Al Nassr — including a 35-yard free kick.

    4

The five-goal night

On 7 March 2012, in a Champions League round-of-16 second leg at the Camp Nou, Lionel Messi scored five goals against Bayer Leverkusen. No man has matched that since. Ronaldo has scored four in a Champions League match twice, but the five-goal night is a Messi-only record — and one of only a handful of single-game records that has stood for more than a decade in the post-2010 era of football.

Frequently asked

Who has more career hat-tricks, Messi or Ronaldo?+

Cristiano Ronaldo, with 68 career hat-tricks to Messi's 57 — both leagues clear of any other active player.

Has anyone scored five goals in a Champions League match?+

Only Lionel Messi. He scored five against Bayer Leverkusen in March 2012 — a record that still stands.

Who has more Champions League hat-tricks?+

It is tied: eight Champions League hat-tricks each for Messi and Ronaldo.

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