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

Including the only five-goal Champions League performance in history

Ronaldo · career hat-tricks

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

Hat-tricks by competition

5 categories

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

2007-03-10
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 ⚽
2010-04-06
vs Arsenal · UCL QF
Four goals in 38 minutes at the Camp Nou. The night Messi announced himself in the Champions League.
4 ⚽
2012-03-07
vs Bayer Leverkusen · UCL R16
Five goals — still the only player to score five in a Champions League match.
5 ⚽
2014-03-23
vs Real Madrid · La Liga
Messi hat-trick at the Bernabéu in a 4–3 Barcelona win — Ronaldo also scored.
3 ⚽
2017-08-13
vs Real Betis · La Liga
Free-kick, header, and a tap-in — the variety hat-trick.
3 ⚽
2019-03-09
vs Real Betis · La Liga
A Panenka-style chipped free kick is one of the goals — applauded by the home crowd.
3 ⚽
2022-09-27
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 ⚽
2023-06-15
vs Curaçao · International friendly
Three goals in 22 first-half minutes as Argentina mark Messi's 800th-goal milestone.
3 ⚽

Ronaldo · selected hat-tricks

2008-01-12
vs Newcastle · Premier League
First senior hat-trick — a typical 6–0 Manchester United away day.
3 ⚽
2010-05-05
vs Mallorca · La Liga
Four goals in his debut Real Madrid season. The Bernabéu's first Ronaldo poker.
4 ⚽
2013-03-05
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 ⚽
2015-04-05
vs Granada · La Liga
Five goals in 30 minutes — only the third Madrid player ever to score five in a top-flight match.
5 ⚽
2017-06-03
vs Juventus · UCL final
Two goals in the 4–1 Cardiff final — completes the UCL three-peat.
2 ⚽
2018-06-15
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 ⚽
2019-03-12
vs Atlético Madrid · UCL R16
Single-handedly overturns a 2–0 first-leg deficit for Juventus.
3 ⚽
2023-09-19
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.

Keep reading

Goals

Career goals broken down

Career goals broken down: club vs country, free kicks, penalties, headers and hat-tricks for Messi and Ronaldo.

Penalties

Career penalty totals, conversion percentages, knockout-stage spot kicks and the most defining penalties of Messi and Ronaldo's careers.

Efficiency

Goals per game broken down by club, plus the best single seasons of Messi and Ronaldo's careers and how they compare.

Hat-tricks by competition

The five-goal night

Frequently asked

You might also like