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Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably one of the greatest players to have graced the game.
His penchant for scoring goals is almost unmatched, and he is currently the joint-highest scoring player in the history of the game. Given his huge affinity for scoring goals, it comes as no surprise that Cristiano Ronaldo has scored numerous hat-tricks throughout his career.
Five most memorable Cristiano Ronaldo hat-tricks
The 35-year-old has scored three or more goals in a match on 56 occasions in club and international football, doing so once for Manchester United, twice for Juventus, nine times for Portugal and 44 times for Real Madrid.
Some of these hat-tricks came in relatively low-profile fixtures, while others came on the biggest stage in games that decided the outcome of major trophies.
On that note, let us have a look at five Cristiano Ronaldo hat-tricks that changed the course of football history.
#1 Sweden 2-3 Portugal; 19 November, 2013 (Friends Arena, Solna)
Cristiano Ronaldo and his eternal rival Lionel Messi are separated by just one Ballon d'Or award, with fans and pundits divided about who is the better player of the two.
While it might be difficult to imagine now, there was a time when Messi had a 4-1 lead on his Portuguese counterpart, and it seemed like journalists, pundits and even FIFA themselves were rooting for the Rosario native.
Many were seemingly put off by the former Real Madrid man's 'arrogance' and 'selfishness'. And try as he might, Cristiano Ronaldo could simply not add to his solitary Ballon d'Or award won in 2008. He toiled every year only to see Messi beat him to the prestigious award.
The viewpoint that the world held against Cristiano Ronaldo was buttressed by the then FIFA president Sepp Blatter, who stated his preference for Lionel Messi openly.
He called the Argentinian every parents' dream child, while he condescendingly referred to Cristiano Ronaldo as an 'onfield general' who spends more time in the saloon.
That was a shocking thing to hear from a supposed impartial judge of football's governing body, and fans of the Portuguese saw this as ammunition to further fuel their conspiracy theory.
The media was flabbergasted, but amidst all the furore was an unfazed Cristiano Ronaldo who refused to respond but did his talking on the field.
A few weeks after Sepp Blatter made those uninformed comments, the Real Madrid legend delivered one of the most inspiring individual performances of his career.
He scored a hat-trick to down Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden and almost single-handedly took his nation to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Almost immediately, an already embattled FIFA - who were facing massive corruption charges and needed to redeem their image - made the rather curious decision to extend the deadline for the Ballon d'Or votes.
They went one step further by allowing voters to change their initial votes if they so desired. That was basically a form of rewarding Cristiano Ronaldo for his heroics against Sweden, and it came as no surprise when he finally won his second Ballon d'Or in 2014.
There are unconfirmed reports that Lionel Messi was actually in pole position to claim a fifth Ballon d'Or on the trot before the deadline was extended.
Indeed, if the Barcelona talisman had gone 5-1 up over Cristiano Ronaldo, it is hard to imagine the Madeira native clawing back into contention despite his superhuman prowess.
However, his hat-trick against Sweden helped launch his period of dominance in the individual awards category, and eight years later, he is almost on an equal footing with his great rival.
The fact that Cristiano Ronaldo's performance helped Portugal qualify for the FIFA World Cup was a great feat in of itself, but it also helped re-instil confidence in the former Manchester United man's game.
In many ways, Cristiano Ronaldo's career was rejuvenated following that Ballon d'Or win, and he has arguably played the best football of his career since then.
It can be argued that all his achievements in the last eight years might not have come if he had not won that long-elusive second Ballon d'Or award, and it can all be traced back to his breathtaking display at the Friends Arena in Solna.
#2 Real Madrid 3-0 Wolfsburg; 12 April, 2016 (Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid)
When Real Madrid were drawn against Wolfsburg in the quarter-final of the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League, it was seen as a relatively straightforward tie for Los Blancos.
At that point, the Spanish giants had the two most expensive players in their ranks - Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale - while their pedigree and history far outshone that of Wolfsbur's.
However, a stunning performance by an unplayable Julian Draxler helped the Bundesliga side record a shock 2-0 victory in the first leg. They travelled to the Bernabeu six days later full of confidence to get the job done.
Enter Cristiano Ronaldo. The Madeira native had other ideas and gave Real Madrid the quick start they needed when he converted in the six-yard box from a Dani Carvajal cross in the 15th minute.
Eighty seconds later, the tie was level, as the then 29-year-old rose highest to head home a corner by Toni Kroos to get the Los Blancos fans believing.
From then on, it was a one-man show, as Cristiano Ronaldo tried to force the issue, and when he stood over a free-kick in the 77th minute, there was a sense of inevitability over the outcome.
The well-taken set-piece went past the Wolfsburg wall and beyond the dive of Koen Casteels much to the surprise of no one who knew what Cristiano Ronaldo was capable of.
Real Madrid eased past Manchester City in the semi-final before dispatching city rivals Atletico Madrid on penalties in the final.
A year later, they became the first side in history to retain the Champions League and made it a three-peat in 2018.
However, this stunning piece of history would not have been achieved had Cristiano Ronaldo not stepped up to the plate against Wolfsburg.
#3 Real Madrid 4-2 Bayern Munich; 18 April, 2017 (Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid)
Cristiano Ronaldo almost single-handedly eliminated Bayern Munich from the 2016-17 Champions League quarter-final, as he scored five goals scored across both legs.
Remarkably, coming into the quarter-final, the normally prolific Portuguese had scored just two goals from eight games in the competition that season, leading many to write him off.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo is called 'Mr Champions League' for a reason, and he reminded everyone of his pedigree with a comprehensive display against the Bavarian giants.
A second-half brace in the first leg at the Allianz Arena helped cancel out a 25th-minute goal by Arturo Vidal to give Real Madrid the advantage on home soil.
Cristiano Ronaldo came to the fore again in the return fixture, scoring a header in the 76th minute to level matters after Robert Lewandowski had put Bayern Munich ahead.
With 14 minutes to go, Los Blancos were seemingly through to the semi-final, but a Sergio Ramos own goal two minutes later forced extra-time, and this was where the Real Madrid number 7 stood up to be counted.
The Portugal international controlled a Ramos cross on the chest before sliding a left-footed finish past Manuel Neuer, although replays showed him to be in an offside position.
Five minutes into the second half of extra-time, Cristiano Ronaldo was well-placed to finish an excellent counter-attack by Marcelo to complete what was a perfect hat-trick.
It saw him become the first player to score 100 Champions League goals and sent Real Madrid through to the semi-finals, which bring us to his next hat-trick in the competition that season.
#4 Real Madrid 3-0 Atletico Madrid; 2 May, 2017 (Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid)
Under the tutelage of the wily Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid have earned the reputation of being one of the most compact football sides in history.
Nevertheless, Los Colchoneros must be sick of the sight of Cristiano Ronaldo, especially in the continent.
They had seen off debutants Leicester City in the quarte-rfinal of the 2016-17 campaign to book a date with their city rivals. The Rojiblancos would have had revenge in mind, following two final losses to Real Madrid in the previous three seasons, but that was not to.
Cristiano Ronaldo put the hosts ahead as early as the tenth minute with a header, rising above Stefan Savic to nod home a cross by Casemiro.
A defiant Atletico Madrid defence kept their hosts at bay, but two goals in the final 18 minutes from Cristiano Ronaldo condemned the Rojiblancos to a 3-0 defeat at the Bernabeu.
The hat-trick showcased the full range of Cristiano Ronaldo's abilities, with the player scoring a header, an 18-yard screamer and a poacher's finish to become the first player in Champions League history to score consecutive hat-tricks.
Another brace in the final against Juventus helped Real Madrid become the first team to successfully defend their Champions League title. But that may not have been possible had their talisman not scored the two hat-tricks in the two previous rounds of the competition.
#5 Portugal 3-1 Switzerland; 5 June, 2019 (Estadio do Dragao, Porto)
We are back to international football for another Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick that inspired his nation to glory on home soil.
After sitting out the entire group-stage of the maiden UEFA Nations League, the Madeira native returned with a bang, scoring three goals in the semi-final to dispatch a talented Switzerland team.
The first of Cristiano Ronaldo's goals came in the 25th minute from a 25-yard freekick that dipped over the wall and left Yann Sommer stranded in his line.
Ricardo Rodriguez equalised for the Alpine nation in the 57th minute, and with just three minutes to go, it looked like the game would be decided in extra-time. However, Cristiano Ronaldo had other ideas, and he stamped his authority on the game with a brace in as many minutes to complete his hat-trick.
His second of the night saw him show his predatory striker's instincts, as he placed a one-touch finish from a Bernardo Silva cut-back to put his side 2-1 up.
The replays had barely finished playing when Cristiano Ronaldo got his seventh international hat-trick, recreating a scene which we have seen multiple times in the past but not recently.
In scenes reminiscent from his wing-wizard days at Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo received the ball out wide on the left, took a few touches, performed some step overs and left Manuel Akanji for dead before riflingll the ba into the far corner.
That killed off Switzerland, helping Portugal reach the final of the UEFA Nations League on home soil.
Goncalo Guedes settled the showpiece event against Netherlands at the hour-mark to help the Iberian nation to their second major international trophy. That might, however, not have been possible had Cristiano Ronaldo not stepped up to the plate three days earlier.
