Ranking the top 12 fastest hat-tricks in football history

Ranking the top 12 fastest hat-tricks in football history

It takes a lot of skill to score a hat trick, and it takes even more skill to score the perfect hat trick, one with your left foot, one with your right, and one with your head, but nothing beats scoring all three of your hat-trick goals in a short period of time. The fastest hat-tricks in football history shocked audiences worldwide.

Photo: Leonardo Gerzon, Jeroen Meuwsen and Catherine Ivill
Robert Lewandowski(L), Joel Pohjanpalo (C) and Gabriel Batistuta (R) are among the fastest hat-tricks. Photo: Leonardo Gerzon, Jeroen Meuwsen, Catherine Ivill (modified by author)
Source: UGC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The top 12 fastest hat-tricks in football history feature players celebrated for their remarkable displays of skill and efficiency. These players possess exceptional speed and agility, allowing them to exploit gaps in the defence and get into scoring positions rapidly. The list has both active and retired players.

Fastest hat-tricks in football history: Top 12

RankNameMatchTimeYear
1Alex TorrRawson Springs vs. Winn Gardens201370 seconds
2Magnus Arvidsson IFK Hässleholm vs. Landskrona BoIS199589 seconds
3 Eduardo MaglioniIndependiente vs. Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata 1973 1 minute 51 seconds
4Jimmy O’ConnorShelbourne vs. Bohemians19672 minutes 13 seconds
5James HayterBournemouth vs. Wrexham20042 minutes 20 seconds
6Ian St John Motherwell vs. Hibernian 1959 2 minutes 30 seconds
7Sadio ManeSouthampton vs. Aston Villa2015 2 minutes 56 seconds
8Robert LewandowskiBayern Munich vs. Wolfsburg2015 3 minutes 15 seconds
9Joel PohjanpaloHJK vs. IFK Mariehamn20123 minutes 162 seconds
10Robbie FowlerLiverpool vs. Arsenal 19944 minutes 33 seconds
11Jermain DefoeTottenham Hotspur vs. Wigan Athletic20097 minutes
12Gabriel BatistutaFiorentina vs. Juventus1998 11 minutes

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Ranking the top 12 fastest hat-tricks in football history

In a 7-2 victory over England on 2 March 1878, Scotland's John McDougall scored three goals for the first time in an international competition. Multiple players have since scored three or more goals in a single match for their club or national team. Most players who have scored a hat trick have been on the winning team. Here is the list of football's top 12 fastest hat tricks.

12. Gabriel Batistuta - Fiorentina vs. Juventus, 1998 (11 minutes)

Gabriel Batistuta takes a selfie with cut net
Gabriel Batistuta takes a selfie with cut net after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Final match between Argentina and France at Lusail Stadium in Lusail City, Qatar. Photo: Catherine Ivill
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Gabriel Omar Batistuta
  • Date of birth: 1 February 1969
  • Age: 55 years old (as of 2024)
  • Place of birth: Reconquista, Santa Fe, Argentina

Gabriel Batistuta is the player with the fastest hat-trick in the World Cup. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time. Gabriel played for teams such as Roma, Newell's Old Boys, Boca Juniors and River Plate. Gabriel Batistuta is famous for his accurate heading and strong free-kick-taking skills.

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11. Jermain Defoe - Tottenham Hotspur vs. Wigan Athletic, 2009 (7 minutes)

Jermain Defoe pictured at The Academy of Light after signing for Sunderland for the second spell on January 31, 2022 in Sunderland, England
Jermain Defoe pictured at The Academy of Light after signing for Sunderland for the second spell on January 31, 2022 in Sunderland, England. Photo: Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Jermain Colin Defoe
  • Date of birth: 7 October 1982
  • Age: 41 years old (as of 2024)
  • Place of birth: Beckton, London, United Kingdom

Jermain Defoe is a retired English professional footballer who was known for his prolific goal-scoring ability. Defoe played as a striker for various clubs throughout his career, including West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, Sunderland, and AFC Bournemouth, among others. Jermain Defoe is a standout performer, scoring five goals, including a seven-minute hat-trick.

10. Robbie Fowler - Liverpool vs. Arsenal, 1994 (4 minutes 33 seconds)

Coach Robbie Fowler looks on during the round 21 A-League match between Melbourne City and the Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park in Melbourne, Australia
Coach Robbie Fowler looks on during the round 21 A-League match between Melbourne City and the Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Daniel Pockett
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Robert Bernard Fowler
  • Date of birth: 9 April 1975
  • Age: 49 years old (as of 2024)
  • Place of birth: Toxteth, Liverpool, United Kingdom

Robbie Fowler is a retired English professional footballer and former manager. Robbie Fowler is best known for his time playing as a striker for Liverpool FC. Fowler's lightning-quick hat-trick for Liverpool against Arsenal displayed his lethal finishing ability. He scored three goals in just over four and a half minutes.

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9. Joel Pohjanpalo - HJK vs. IFK Mariehamn, 2012 (3 minutes 162 seconds)

Joel Pohjanpalo looks on during the pre-season
Joel Pohjanpalo looks on during the pre-season at the MAC³PARK stadion in Zwolle, Netherlands Photo: Jeroen Meuwsen
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Joel Julius Ilmari Pohjanpalo
  • Date of birth: 13 September 1994
  • Age: 29 years old (as of 2024)
  • Place of birth: Helsinki, Finland

Joel Pohjanpalo is a footballer who plays as a forward for Italian Serie B club Venezia and Finland national football. He played on loan for teams such as Hamburger SV, Union Berlin, Caykur Rizespor and Fortuna Düsseldorf. Joel Pohjanpalo scored a hat-trick within the space 3 minutes against IFK Mariehamn.

8. Robert Lewandowski - Bayern Munich vs. Wolfsburg, 2015 (3 minutes 15 seconds)

Robert Lewandowski during the La Liga EA Sports 2023/2024
Robert Lewandowski during the La Liga EA Sports 2023/2024 match against Girona FC on Matchday 34 at Montilivi Stadium in Girona, Spain. Photo: Leonardo Gerzon
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Robert Lewandowski
  • Date of birth: 21 August 1988
  • Age: 35 years old (as of 2024)
  • Place of birth: Warsaw, Poland

Robert Lewandowski is among the top 10 fastest hat-tricks in the world. He plays as a striker for La Liga club Barcelona and captains the Poland national team. He is considered one of the greatest attackers of all time, one of the best players of his generation, and one of the most successful players in Bayern Munich and Bundesliga history. Robert Lewandowski has the fastest hat-trick of 3 minutes and 15 seconds.

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7. Sadio Mane - Southampton vs. Aston Villa, 2015 (2 minutes 56 seconds)

fastest hat trick in football history
Sadio Mane of Bayern Muenchen during the UEFA Champions League match between FC Bayern München and Viktoria Plzen at Allianz Arena on October 4, 2022, in Munich, Germany. Photo: Roland Krivec
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Sadio Mané
  • Date of birth: 10 April 1992
  • Age: 32 years old (as of 2024)
  • Place of birth: Bambali, Senegal

Sadio Mane, a Senegalese star for Southampton, scored a hat trick against Aston Villa on May 16, 2015, in the record-setting quickest time in the history of the English Premier League. His three-goal record could be accomplished in 2 minutes and 56 seconds. Sadio Mane is the only African player with the fastest hat trick in football history.

6. Ian St John - Motherwell vs. Hibernian, 1959 (2 minutes 30 seconds)

quickest hat trick in soccer history
Sport, Football, Anfield, England, 1968, Photocall, Liverpool FC's Ian St John. Photo: Bob Thomas
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Ian St John
  • Date of birth: 7 June 1938
  • Died: 1 March 2021
  • Place of birth: Motherwell, United Kingdom

On August 10, 1959, Ian St. John played in the Scottish League Cup for Motherwell FC when he scored three goals in 150 seconds against Hibernia. This was before he was traded to Liverpool. Ian St. John is among the top 10 fastest hat-tricks in football history with a record of 2 minutes and 30 seconds.

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5. James Hayter - Bournemouth vs. Wrexham, 2004 (2 minutes 20 seconds)

who has the fastest hat trick in football history
Bournemouth's James Hayter tackled Colchester United's, Kevin Watson. Photo: Tony Marshall
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: James Edward Hayter
  • Date of birth: 9 April 1979
  • Age: 45 years old (as of 2024)
  • Place of birth: Sandown, Isle of Wight, England

After coming on as a replacement with six minutes remaining, Bournemouth striker James Hayter scored three goals in two minutes and twenty seconds for the fastest hat trick in English football history. There was a resounding 6-0 vote in favour of the landowners at the end of the meeting.

4. Jimmy O’Connor - Shelbourne vs. Bohemians, 1967 (2 minutes 13 seconds)

who scored the fastest hat trick in football history
Kidderminster Harriers Assistant Manager Jimmy O'Connor during the Vanarama National League match at Aggborough Stadium, Kidderminster, on Saturday, August 13, 2022. Photo: Barrington Coombs
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Jimmy O'Connor
  • Date of birth: 1 September 1979
  • Age: 44 years old (as of 2024)
  • Place of birth: Republic of Irland

Jimmy O'Connor, a former player from Ireland, scored two goals to help his team, Shelburne, beat their rival, South Burlington, 3-2 in a local league match. He began his record-setting hat trick with a right-footed strike and finished it with a header one minute and twenty-five seconds later. The date of the match was November 19, 1967.

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The time required to score his three goals was 2 minutes and 13 seconds. Jimmy O'Connor would score 26 goals in 109 games for Shelburne, but none were more impressive than his display that November night.

3. Eduardo Maglioni - Independiente vs. Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, 1973 (1 minute 51 seconds)

quickest hat trick in soccer history
Eduardo Maglioni @seba_cai on Twitter Photo: (modified by author)
Source: Twitter
  • Full name: Eduardo Andrés Maglioni
  • Date of birth: 14 April 1946
  • Age: 78 years old (as of 2024)
  • Place of birth: Reconquista, Argentina

On March 18, 1978, a player named Eduardo Maglioni scored three goals in 111 seconds to seal a fantastic victory for his side, Independiente, against Gimnasia La Plata, which settled on a 4-1 result, propelling the Argentine League to fourth place on this good list. At the time, publications in Argentina lauded the speedy trio currently ranked top in the country.

2. Magnus Arvidsson - IFK Hässleholm vs. Landskrona BoIS, 1995 (89 seconds)

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fastest hat trick in football league history
1973Sportler, Fussball Schweden, Hansa Rostock's Magnus Arvidsson. Photo: contrast/Boris Streubel
Source: Getty Images
  • Full name: Lars Magnus Arvidsson
  • Date of birth: 12 February 1973
  • Age: 51 years old (as of 2024)
  • Place of birth: Sweden

Magnus Arvidson, a former Swedish player, earned the second-fastest hat trick in history. A player for Hasleholm scored three goals against Landskrona in 89 seconds; the final result was 5-3, and Hasleholm avoided relegation to Sweden's second tier in the 1994–1995 season. Magnus Arvidsson is the only Swedish player with the quickest hat trick in soccer history.

1. Alex Torr - Rawson Springs vs. Winn Gardens, 2013 (70 seconds)

fastest hat trick in football history
Alex Torr celebrates his goal with Maguire. Photo: @AlexDavidTorr on Twitter (modified by author)
Source: Twitter

In a record-setting time, Alex Torr of Rawson Spring scored three goals against Wayne Gardner's squad in the British Amateur League. It is a global record that Guinness has officially recognized, and it will be tough for any other player to beat. The team captained by Alex Torr won this match 7-1 on April 28, 2013. Torr is the only British who scored the fastest hat trick in football history.

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Who scored the fastest hat-trick in the world?

The record for the fastest hat-trick in professional football history goes to Alex Torr. He scored the fastest Hatric ever in football history, just three goals in 1min 10 seconds when his side, Rawson Spring, played against Win Gardens in 2013.

Who are the top 5 fastest hat tricks in football history?

The top five fastest hat-tricks in football history include players like Alex Torr, Magnus Arvidsson, Gabriel Batistuta, Eduardo Maglioni and Robert Lewandowski.

Does Ronaldo have the Fastest hat-tricks in football history?

While Cristiano Ronaldo may not hold the record for the fastest hat-trick in football history, he is still regarded as one of the best and he became the first player to score hat-tricks in men's international football.

Who scored a hat trick in 70 seconds?

Alex Torr, a player in a Sunday league, scored three goals in the shortest time ever. Referee Matt Tyers validated the goals and said he had never seen anything like it in his career.

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What is the quickest hat trick in Premier League history?

Only seven players in the history of the Premier League have managed to score three goals in under ten minutes. At the 2015 Premier League match between Southampton and Aston Villa, Sadio Mane scored a hat trick in just 2 minutes and 56 seconds to set a new record.

Who scored a hat-trick in 2 minutes?

While no one has scored a hat-trick in exactly 2 minutes, Sadio Mané holds the record for the fastest Premier League hat-trick, scoring three times for Southampton against Aston Villa in just 2 minutes and 56 seconds in 2015.

Which player scored a hat-trick in 3 minutes?

Some footballers known for scoring very fast hat-tricks in three minutes include Robert Lewandowski (reportedly 3 minutes and 15 seconds) and Joel Pohjanpalo (reportedly 3 minutes).

Who has the fastest hat-trick in World Cup history?

Gabriel Batistuta holds the record for the fastest hat-trick in World Cup history. He scored three goals in just 87 minutes. He achieved this against Greece in the 1994 World Cup on June 21st. He is the only person to score hat-tricks in two World Cups.

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There have been many hat tricks in various leagues globally. Unfortunately, most of the football's big names are not found on the list despite having broken other records. The list of the fastest hat-tricks in football history is long, with names like Kun Aguero, Son Min Hueng, Christiano Ronaldo, Messi and Lewandowski, among others.

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Nomso Obiajuru Nomso Obiajuru has 10 years of working experience in sports journalism and is currently the Team Lead of Sports editorial offices at Legit. He has met and interviewed some of the most influential sports personalities in the world while working at Legit.ng, Sports Brief and HipTV. Nomso obtained a degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos in 2012. Email: nomso.obiajuru@corp.legit.ng