Top 5 clubs with the most hat-trick scorers in the UEFA Champions League 

Since the inaugural UEFA Champions League edition in 1992, a host of players from various clubs have notched goals in the competition but only a handful of players from a select few clubs have done it multiple times.

Not many players have managed to score three goals in a game at the highest level of European club football and not many clubs have had players to do so.

To score two hattricks in a competition is a rare feat as well and takes a special goalscorer to do it at the highest level of the game. However, here, we take a look at the top 5 clubs with the most hat-trick scorers in the Champions League.

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#5 Manchester United FC - 5

Rooney asking for the match ball after his hat-trick for Manchester United v Fenerbahce SK

20-time English champions and three-time European Champions, Manchester United are fifth on the list of clubs with the most hat-trick scorers in the Champions League with 5. Four different players have bagged a hat-trick for United since the inception of the tournament in 92-93.

Andy Cole had twice scored a hat-trick with the first coming in 1997 against Feyenoord and the second in 2000 against Anderlecht. Wayne Rooney notched a treble on his club debut for United at Old Trafford against Fenerbache in 2004 which was followed by a treble from his strike partner Ruud van Nistelrooy against Sparta Prague the same season.

Robin van Persie is the fourth player to score a treble in a Champions League game that came against Olympiacos in 2014. United face a tricky test against Sevilla in the round of 16 this season and could be dark horses in the competition.

#4 Arsenal - 6

First Arsenal player to score a Champions League hat-trick

2006 Champions League finalists, Arsenal appeared in the Champions League group stages for 18 consecutive years before missing out on a spot in the competition this season. However, the club is fourth on the list with the most hat-trick scorers in the Champions League. Six different players have scored the 6 hat-tricks for the club.

Thierry Henry scored the first for the club against Roma in 2002 before Nicklas Bendtner scored a treble for Arsenal against Porto in 2010. Four years later, Danny Welbeck scored a hat-trick against Galatasaray and then Oliver Giroud notched one against Olympiacos in the same season.

Mesut Ozil notched a treble against Ludogorets Razgrad in the group stage of the tournament last season before Lucas Perez capped a treble against Basel months later. Wenger is playing his first season in the Europa League and has been knocked out of the FA Cup and are in the finals of the Carabao Cup and have a lot to play for this season.

#3 FC Bayern München - 7

Last FC Bayern Muenchen player to score a hat-trick in the competition

5-time European Champions and German giants, Bayern Munich are third on the list with the most hat-trick scorers in the competition. Munich, now under Jupp Heynckes, won the tournament under the German coach in 2012-13 and completed a historic treble that season with the Bundesliga and the German Cup.

Roy Makaay scored the first hat-trick for the club in the competition against Ajax in 2004 after which Ivica Olic scored a treble against Lyon in 2010. In the 2010-11 season. Mario Gomez bagged three hat-tricks in the group stage of the competition against CFR Cluj, Napoli and Basel.

In the same season as Gomez, Claudio Pizzaro racked up a treble against French side Lille. Lewandowski netted a hat-trick against Dinamo Zagreb in 2015 that made him one of only five players to do so for the club.

#2 Real Madrid CF - 11

Real Madrid frontman Ronaldo has scored a joint record 7 hat-tricks

12-time Champions League winners and two-time defending champions Real Madrid are second on the list of clubs with the most hat-trick scorers in the competition. Ronaldo has scored hat-tricks against Ajax (2012), Galatasaray (2013), Malmo (2015) Shakhtar Donetsk (2015), Wolfsburg (2016), and most famously Bayern Munich (2017) in the semifinals on one occasion and Atletico Madrid (2017) in the final on one occasion.

However, Raul was the first player to notch a hat-trick for the club against Hungarian team Ferencváros. The Brazilian, Ronaldo de Lima, famously scored a hat-trick at Old Trafford against Manchester United in 2003. Frenchman Karim Benzema is the only the fourth player to score a hat-trick for the club and has notched two during his time. One that came against Auxerre in 2010 and Malmo in 2015.

Real Madrid face PSG in the round of 16 and need goals from the French forward to boost their hopes of defending their title for a second time. Fellow Frenchman and manager Zidane has described the game as one that will determine his future given the club's poor season thus far.

#1 Barcelona - 12

FC Barcelona captain Messi shares hat-trick record with Ronaldo with 7

5-time European Champions, Barcelona top the list with the most hat-trick scorers in the competition with 12. Six players have scored a treble for the club at the highest level of the game with Messi scoring a hat-trick on seven occasions.

The first trick for the club was scored by Brazilian, Rivaldo against AC Milan in 2000. Another Brazilian, Ronaldinho, scored a treble against Udinese in 2005 that was quickly followed by Samuel Eto'o as he scored one against Panathinaikos.

Messi has scored hat-tricks against Arsenal (2010), Viktoria Plzeň (2011), Bayer Leverkusen (2012), Ajax (2013), APOEL (2014), Celtic (2016) and Manchester City (2016). Neymar netted a treble for the club in 2013 against Celtic and Arda Turan scored three against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Barcelona face a tricky test against Chelsea in the round of 16 in what will be a fascinating game between two European powerhouses.