5 players with most hat tricks in football history

Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo

#3 Lionel Messi (54 hat tricks)

FC Barcelona v Levante UD - La Liga Santander
FC Barcelona v Levante UD - La Liga Santander

Now we move on to a whole different league. A realm where the outrageous is the norm. Lionel Messi is one of the greatest footballers of all time. He has clocked ridiculously high numbers throughout his career and though he has hit a lean patch (only by his standards of course), he is sure to have plenty more years of football left in him.

Messi has scored 53 career hat tricks so far. He has scored four goals on five occasions and has scored five goals in a game once as well. The diminutive Argentine is a nightmare for defenders with his unreal close control and dribbling ability.

He also has the best left foot in the game and once he gets into a scoring position, he hardly ever misses as evidenced by the ridiculous numbers he has stacked up over the course of his career.

#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (57 hat tricks)

FC Barcelona v Juventus: Group G - UEFA Champions League
FC Barcelona v Juventus: Group G - UEFA Champions League

Cristiano Ronaldo, at the age of 35 is still one of the best footballers on the planet. An elite athlete, Ronaldo might have lost a bit of pace but he makes up for it with his movement and intelligence.

Cristiano Ronaldo is in contention with Lionel Messi for the tag of 'greatest of all time'. It's hard to separate the two on most fronts but the Portuguese has the slightest edge over his rival when it comes to hat tricks.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 57 career hat tricks. He has scored four goals in eight games and five goals on two occasions. Cristiano Ronaldo has kept his superhuman act going strong for a decade a half now and the way he is going, he is not about to stop any time now.

#1 Pele (92 hat tricks)

Pele
Pele

Though his records and numbers are a bit contentious owing to the obscurity of the sources, Pele is one of the greatest artists to have graced a football pitch. Many of his 92 hat tricks have come in friendlies but if those numbers are good enough for the Guinness World Records, who are we to judge, eh?

Pele has numerous extraordinary records to his name including being the youngest player to ever score a hat trick in a World Cup. He achieved that feat at the age of 17 in 1958. It is a record that has remained in tact even 62 years later.

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