What Is a Hat-Trick in Football? Perfect Hat-Tricks and Records
A hat-trick in football is when one player scores three goals in a single match. Unlike in cricket, the goals do not need to be consecutive, and they can come at any point in the game, including extra time.
What counts
- All three goals must be scored by the same player in the same match.
- Penalties count. Goals in extra time count.
- Goals in a penalty shootout do not count, because a shootout is not part of the match.
- Own goals are not credited to any attacker, so they cannot form part of a hat-trick.
The perfect hat-trick
A perfect hat-trick is three goals scored with the left foot, the right foot and the head. It is much rarer than a normal hat-trick, and fans often argue about it. Some definitions also require the three goals to be the only goals the player scores in the match, but there is no official rule.
The match ball tradition
A player who scores a hat-trick traditionally keeps the match ball, often signed by teammates. The custom is a tradition, not a rule, and it is followed in most professional leagues.
Where the name comes from
The term comes from cricket. In 1858, a bowler who took three wickets in three balls was given a hat to celebrate, and the phrase spread to football in the following decades. Read the full story in our cricket hat-trick guide.
Famous hat-tricks
- Geoff Hurst scored the first hat-trick in a World Cup final, for England against West Germany in 1966.
- Kylian Mbappé scored three in the 2022 World Cup final against Argentina, but France lost on penalties.
- Sadio Mané scored the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history, in 2 minutes 56 seconds for Southampton against Aston Villa in 2015.
- Robert Lewandowski scored five goals in nine minutes as a substitute for Bayern Munich against Wolfsburg in 2015.
Other terms
Four goals in a match is sometimes called a haul or a “poker” in Spanish-speaking countries. A player who scores twice has a brace.
For more goalscoring records, see Messi vs Ronaldo stats and the football records page.