Table of Contents
- Erling Haaland showed his goalscoring prowess once again last night as he scored five goals in Norway’s 11-0 win over Moldova
- Since making his senior debut for Norway in 2019, Haaland has scored five hat-tricks
- Unsurprisingly, Haaland ranks on the list of footballers with the most hat-tricks
Who are the footballers with the most hat-tricks in the 21st century? Manchester City forward Erling Haaland showed his goalscoring prowess once again last night as he scored five goals in Norway’s 11-0 win over Moldova. The 25-year-old set up two more goals as his side continued with their fine form in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Since making his senior debut for Norway in 2019, Haaland has scored five hat-tricks. The Norwegian has been in supreme form since stepping on the big stage and we can only expect more astonishing performances from him. With the majority of football fans speaking about his five-goal thriller last night and Norway’s massive win, we’ve decided to take a look at footballers with the most hat-tricks in the 21st century. With that said, let’s get started:
8. Erling Haaland – 26 Hat-Tricks
Erling Haaland. Photo/ BBC.
Unsurprisingly, Haaland ranks on the list of footballers with the most hat-tricks. The Norway international took his tally of hat-tricks to 26 as his side recorded a massive 11-1 victory over Moldova. He has already proven to be lethal in front of goal than some of the best forwards of the 21st century, including Sergio Aguero, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mario Gomez.
It’s ridiculous that yesterday’s match marked the third time that Haaland has scored five goals in a single game. He previously scored five in a match while representing Premier League giants Manchester City.
7. Ali Mabkhout – 27 Hat-Tricks
Ali Mabkhout is one of the most prolific strikers to have never played in Europe. He spent his whole career at UAE Pro League club Al Jazira until 2024 when he decided to join Al-Nasr SC. He scored 210 goals in 281 matches for Al Jazira and is the leading goalscorer in the history of the club.
As of the time of writing, Mabkhout has scored an impressive 27 hat-tricks, including nine while playing for his country. This is impressive irregardless of the league he plays in considering many people find it even hard to score a brace in their local Sunday League.
6. Harry Kane – 27 Hat-Tricks
Harry Kane. Photo/ FotMob.
Harry Kane is undoubtedly one of the greatest strikers the football world has ever seen. After wowing fans with his goalscoring ability in the English Premier League, Kane moved to the Bundesliga where he has continued to produce match-winning performances.
Kane is 31 and it seems is goalscoring isn’t stopping anytime soon considering he has scored seven hat-tricks since joining Bayern Munich two years ago. The England international’s hat-trick tally is 27, making him rank among footballers with the most hat-tricks.
5. Luis Suarez – 30 Hat-Tricks
Lionel Messi’s brilliance might have denied him the spotlight at FC Barcelona but there’s no denying the fact that he is one of the most talented strikers of his generation. He scored so many goals while playing for Ajax, Liverpool, Barcelona and the Uruguay national team.
Luis Suarez. Photo/ ESPN.
Suarez is currently past his prime but is still lethal in front of goal, which explains why he’s leading Inter Miami’s attack. We couldn’t be surprised if he scores a few more hat-tricks before ending his professional career.
4. Robert Lewandowski – 33 Hat-Tricks
Robert Lewandowski‘s time at Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona has brought so many goals to the striker. The Polish striker has scored hat-tricks for the aforementioned clubs in the UEFA Champions League.
But his prowess does not only stop at club level as he has also scored six hat-tricks while playing for the Poland national team. Lewandowski left Bayern Munich as the second-highest goalscorer in the history of the Bundesliga with 312 goals.
3. Ali Ashfaq – 35 Hat-Tricks
Ali Ashfaq is another little known name on the list of footballers with the most hat-tricks. He played for 13 clubs over the course of his career and managed to score an astonishing 35 hat-tricks. He scored more goals than the appearances he made for seven of those teams. At international level, Ashfaq scored 58 goals in 98 matches.
2. Lionel Messi – 59 Hat-Tricks
Lionel Messi might be drawing closer to the end of his football career but there’s no doubting the fact that he has done wonders on the pitch. The Argentine, currently plying his trade in the MLS, set several records while playing in Europe for Barcelona.
Messi’s 91 goal record in a single calendar year is one of the records set by the playmaker that might actually take years before being broken. He has so far scored 59 hat-tricks, and we can’t rule the possibility of him adding more considering he scored two hat-tricks in a week during the 2024/25 season.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 66 Hat Tricks
Some may argue that Cristiano Ronaldo is not the greatest player of his generation but we can all agree that he’s the greatest goalscorer of all time. The Portugal international, who started his career as a midfielder, holds the record for the most official goals scored.
Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo/ IceCric News.
Unsurprisingly, he tops the list of footballers with the most hat-tricks, having scored 66 over the course of his career. The Al Nassr forward is 40 years old but doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon considering he has has maintained his goalscoring prowess.
