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The UEFA Champions League is the world's premier club football competition. Featuring some of the best sides from different European countries, the Champions League is known for thrilling fans with fantastic football displays every year.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski have enthralled audiences with their displays over the past few years. They have set several records that will hold good for years to come.
Following Karim Benzema's hat-trick against Paris Saint-Germain last night, let's take a look at the five fastest hat-tricks in UEFA Champions League history.
#5. Robert Lewandowski | 11 mins (vs Salzburg 2022)
Robert Lewandowski is one of the best strikers of his generation.
The Polish striker left Borussia Dortmund for Bayern Munich in 2014 and has enjoyed great success since then. Displaying excellent finishing and positioning abilities, Lewandowski is undoubtedly the best striker in Bundesliga right now.
Lewandowski takes fifth place on this list after the hat-trick he scored against RB Salzburg a couple of nights ago. With Bayern winning 7-1 in the second leg, Lewandowski was right in the thick of things. He grabbed three goals in just 11 minutes.
After the first leg ended 1-1, the Bavarians had a task on their hands to progress into the quarter-finals of the competition. Lewandowski scored from the spot in the twelfth minute before scoring another penalty just ten minutes later.
He followed this up with another goal almost immediately, completing his hat-trick within just 11 minutes.
#4. Cristiano Ronaldo | 11 mins (vs Malmo in 2015)
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably the best player in the history of the UEFA Champions League.
The Portuguese attacker has won the competition a record five times and has several records to his name in the competition. Ronaldo's period with Real Madrid was his most successful, as he won the competition four times within just five years.
Ronaldo has eight Champions League hat-tricks to his name and is the competition's all-time leading goalscorer. The Portuguese's fastest hat-trick came against Malmo in 2015, as he netted four times in an 8-0 demolition of the Swedish side.
Ronaldo scored his first goal in the 39th minute and grabbed two more in the space of the next 11 minutes. He also scored a fourth goal eight minutes later in what is considered to be one of the greatest individual performances in the Champions League.
#3. Raheem Sterling |10 mins (vs Atalanta in 2019)
Raheem Sterling is one of Manchester City's most influential players.
The Englishman has been with the Manchester outfit since 2015 and also represented Liverpool previously. Primarily a left-winger, Sterling is also capable of playing as a centre-forward or as a second striker.
Sterling has scored 24 goals in the Champions League in 82 appearances while also providing 23 assists. His best individual performance came against Atalanta a couple of years ago when he scored a hat-trick within just 10 minutes.
City found themselves in the lead after two first-half goals from Sergio Aguero. Sterling followed this up with a stunning performance in the second half, scoring three goals within just ten minutes.
The game ended 5-1 in City's favor courtesy of a stellar performance from Sterling.
#2. Mike Newell | 9 mins (vs Rosenberg in 1995)
Mike Newell is a certified veteran of English football. Having represented eight clubs in England, Newell is certainly no stranger to the Premier League. He was a part of Blackburn Rovers' title-winning squad during the 1994-95 season along with players like Alan Shearer.
Newell spent five years with Blackburn and his best-ever performance in the Champions League came in the same season as the club's title triumph.
Lining up against Norwegian outfit Rosenborg, Newell delivered an inspired performance to lead Blackburn to a 5-3 win in their group game. Newell scored three goals within just nine minutes, writing his name into Champions League history forever.
#1. Bafetimbi Gomis | 8 mins (vs Dinamo Zagreb in 2011)
Bafetimbi Gomis is the record-holder for scoring the fastest hat-trick in UEFA Champions League history.
Gomis has represented Swansea in the Premier League but achieved this stunning feat during his time with Lyon. Gomis signed for Lyon in 2009 and went on to spend five years with the French outfit.
Drawn against Dinamo Zagreb in a group stage game, Lyon came out winners with an incredible 7-1 scoreline to qualify for the knockout stages. Gomis was in the thick of things, scoring four goals on the night to lead his side to victory.
Lyon found themselves trailing after a goal from Mateo Kovacic but went on to score an astounding seven goals in 35 minutes to win the tie. Gomis scored his first goal just before half-time and followed this up with two more goals immediately after the second half started.
Gomis registered an eight-minute hat-trick, the fastest in Champions League history. He even grabbed a fourth about 15 minutes later. This is certainly a record that will not be broken in a hurry.
