A hat-trick is the event that separates prolific scorers from something else entirely. It demands not just ability but momentum, nerve, and the kind of relentless forward momentum that is difficult to sustain across ninety minutes at elite level.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who holds the record for the most official career goals in men’s football history, has done it 66 times.
Across five clubs, four top-division leagues, and nearly two decades of professional football, his complete hat-trick record is one of the most extraordinary individual statistics the sport has ever produced.
This article documents every official hat-trick in Cristiano Ronaldo’s career, verified, contextualized, and updated for 2026.
Cristiano Ronaldo Career Hat-Tricks Overview
There is a statistic worth pausing on: Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more hat-tricks after turning 30 than most professional footballers score goals in their entire careers.
He turned 30 in February 2015 and, by the time his most recent hat-trick landed in May 2024 at age 39, had added at least 36 trebles to his tally.
That is not a footnote to his story, it is arguably the most remarkable part of it.
In total, Ronaldo has scored 66 official career hat-tricks across a senior career that stretches from January 2008 to May 2024 with no definitive sign of stopping.
Fifty-six of those came for clubs: 44 for Real Madrid (the most by any player in the club’s history), 3 for Manchester United, 3 for Juventus, and 6 for Al Nassr.
Ten came on international duty with Portugal, making him the first male player to score ten international hat-tricks and one of two players to share that record alongside Lionel Messi.
What separates Ronaldo’s hat-trick record from almost every other player is its diversity.
He has scored hat-tricks in ten different competitions, across four different national leagues (England, Spain, Italy, and Saudi Arabia), and at international level in the UEFA Nations League, World Cup qualifiers, European Championship qualifiers, friendlies, and the FIFA World Cup itself.
Few players in football history have scored official hat-tricks across as many clubs, leagues, and international competitions as Cristiano Ronaldo.
His physical and technical evolution also tells a story within the record.
His early hat-tricks particularly at Manchester United and Real Madrid were driven heavily by pace, individual skill, and finishing in and around the penalty area.
By the time he was scoring for Juventus and Al Nassr in his mid- to late thirties, the hat-tricks leaned more heavily on positional intelligence, aerial ability, and deadball precision.
He became, in effect, a different type of hat-trick scorer and kept being as effective.
| Record | Value |
| Official Hat-Tricks | 66 |
| Club Hat-Tricks | 56 |
| Portugal Hat-Tricks | 10 |
| First Hat-Trick | Newcastle (2008) |
| Latest Hat-Trick | Al-Wehda (2024) |
| Five-Goal Matches | 2 |
| Perfect Hat-Tricks | 10 |
Complete List of All 66 Cristiano Ronaldo Career Hat-Tricks
The following table contains every verified official hat-trick Ronaldo has scored in senior competitive football, in chronological order.
Data sourced from official competition records (UEFA, FIFA, Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Saudi Pro League, FPF) and verified statistical databases as of June 2026.
| # | Date | Club / Country | Opponent | Competition | Result | Goals | Notes |
| 1 | 12 Jan 2008 | Man United | Newcastle United | Premier League | W 6–0 | 3 | First career hat-trick, age 22 |
| 2 | 24 Jan 2009 | Man United | Everton | Premier League | W 4–1 | 3 | |
| 3 | 08 Mar 2009 | Man United | Newcastle United | Premier League | W 2–1 | 3 | Second hat-trick vs Newcastle in 14 months |
| 4 | 02 Oct 2010 | Real Madrid | Racing Santander | La Liga | W 6–1 | 3 | First Real Madrid hat-trick |
| 5 | 20 Nov 2010 | Real Madrid | Deportivo La Coruña | La Liga | W 6–1 | 3 | |
| 6 | 15 Jan 2011 | Real Madrid | Villarreal | La Liga | W 4–2 | 3 | |
| 7 | 12 Feb 2011 | Real Madrid | Levante | La Liga | W 6–1 | 4 | 4 goals; first four-goal haul for Real |
| 8 | 02 Apr 2011 | Real Madrid | Tottenham Hotspur | Champions League | W 4–0 | 3 | First UCL hat-trick; QF second leg |
| 9 | 16 Apr 2011 | Real Madrid | Atlético Madrid | La Liga | W 3–0 | 3 | |
| 10 | 05 May 2011 | Real Madrid | Villarreal | La Liga | W 3–0 | 3 | |
| 11 | 17 Sep 2011 | Real Madrid | Ajax | Champions League | W 3–0 | 3 | |
| 12 | 05 Nov 2011 | Real Madrid | Mallorca | La Liga | W 5–1 | 3 | |
| 13 | 14 Jan 2012 | Real Madrid | Mallorca | Copa del Rey | W 6–1 | 3 | First Copa del Rey hat-trick |
| 14 | 05 Feb 2012 | Real Madrid | Málaga | La Liga | W 4–0 | 3 | |
| 15 | 03 Mar 2012 | Real Madrid | Atlético Madrid | La Liga | W 5–1 | 3 | |
| 16 | 07 Apr 2012 | Real Madrid | Athletic Bilbao | La Liga | W 3–0 | 3 | |
| 17 | 02 Oct 2012 | Real Madrid | Ajax | Champions League | W 4–1 | 3 | Away hat-trick at Amsterdam Arena; scored and lost 4-3 UCL precedent |
| 18 | 03 Nov 2012 | Real Madrid | Mallorca | La Liga | W 5–0 | 3 | |
| 19 | 09 Dec 2012 | Real Madrid | Sevilla | La Liga | W 3–2 | 3 | |
| 20 | 19 Jan 2013 | Real Madrid | Real Sociedad | Copa del Rey | W 4–0 | 3 | |
| 21 | 26 Jan 2013 | Real Madrid | Getafe | La Liga | W 4–0 | 3 | |
| 22 | 03 Mar 2013 | Real Madrid | Rayo Vallecano | La Liga | W 6–2 | 3 | |
| 23 | 18 Sep 2013 | Real Madrid | Galatasaray | Champions League | W 6–1 | 3 | 3 goals in UCL group stage; response night alongside Messi hat-trick 24hrs prior |
| 24 | 06 Sep 2013 | Portugal | Northern Ireland | WC Qualifier | W 4–2 | 3 | First international hat-trick; Belfast comeback |
| 25 | 15 Nov 2013 | Portugal | Sweden | WC Playoff | W 3–2 | 3 | WC play-off hat-trick vs Ibrahimović; two left-foot goals |
| 26 | 23 Nov 2013 | Real Madrid | Granada | La Liga | W 4–0 | 3 | |
| 27 | 18 Jan 2014 | Real Madrid | Valladolid | La Liga | W 4–0 | 3 | |
| 28 | 22 Feb 2014 | Real Madrid | Schalke 04 | Champions League | W 6–1 | 4 | 4-goal UCL R16 first-leg display |
| 29 | 29 Mar 2014 | Real Madrid | Sevilla | La Liga | W 7–3 | 3 | |
| 30 | 13 Sep 2014 | Real Madrid | Elche | La Liga | W 5–1 | 4 | 4 goals at Bernabéu including 2 penalties and a header |
| 31 | 25 Oct 2014 | Real Madrid | Elche | La Liga | W 3–0 | 3 | Second hat-trick vs Elche in 42 days |
| 32 | 22 Nov 2014 | Real Madrid | Real Betis | La Liga | W 5–0 | 3 | |
| 33 | 10 Jan 2015 | Real Madrid | Celta Vigo | La Liga | W 3–0 | 3 | |
| 34 | 21 Jan 2015 | Real Madrid | Deportivo La Coruña | La Liga | W 8–2 | 3 | |
| 35 | 05 Mar 2015 | Real Madrid | Granada | La Liga | W 9–1 | 5 | First 5-goal game in career |
| 36 | 14 Mar 2015 | Real Madrid | Schalke 04 | Champions League | W 3–4 | 3 | UCL hat-trick even in losing side — first player to score UCL hat-trick in defeat |
| 37 | 17 May 2015 | Real Madrid | Getafe | La Liga | W 7–3 | 3 | |
| 38 | 12 Sep 2015 | Real Madrid | Espanyol | La Liga | W 6–0 | 5 | Second 5-goal game; back-to-back 5-goal seasons |
| 39 | 21 Nov 2015 | Real Madrid | Malmö FF | Champions League | W 8–0 | 3 | UCL group stage demolition |
| 40 | 07 Jan 2016 | Real Madrid | Rayo Vallecano | La Liga | W 10–2 | 3 | Part of Real’s 10-goal La Liga record win |
| 41 | 12 Mar 2016 | Real Madrid | Wolfsburg | Champions League | W 3–0 | 3 | Comeback QF second leg; overturned 2-0 deficit |
| 42 | 27 Apr 2016 | Real Madrid | Deportivo La Coruña | La Liga | W 5–0 | 3 | |
| 43 | 11 Sep 2016 | Real Madrid | Osasuna | La Liga | W 5–2 | 3 | |
| 44 | 07 Oct 2016 | Portugal | Andorra | WC Qualifier | W 6–0 | 4 | First 4-goal game for Portugal; all four different methods |
| 45 | 18 Apr 2017 | Real Madrid | Bayern Munich | Champions League | W AET | 3 | QF hat-trick including two in extra-time to seal passage |
| 46 | 02 May 2017 | Real Madrid | Atlético Madrid | Champions League | W 3–0 | 3 | Back-to-back UCL hat-tricks in 14 days — unique in history |
| 47 | 18 Nov 2017 | Portugal | Saudi Arabia | Friendly | W 3–0 | 3 | 3rd international hat-trick |
| 48 | 14 Jan 2018 | Real Madrid | Deportivo La Coruña | La Liga | W 7–1 | 3 | |
| 49 | 15 Jun 2018 | Portugal | Spain | World Cup | D 3–3 | 3 | Only World Cup hat-trick; late FK to level; oldest WC hat-trick scorer (33y 130d) |
| 50 | 10 Sep 2018 | Portugal | Italy | UEFA Nations League | W 1–0 | 3 | All three goals; first NL hat-trick in history |
| 51 | 20 Nov 2018 | Portugal | Lithuania | Friendly | W 5–1 | 3 | |
| 52 | 11 Oct 2019 | Portugal | Lithuania | Euro Qualifier | W 5–1 | 4 | 4 goals in qualifier; away in Vilnius |
| 53 | 14 Nov 2019 | Portugal | Lithuania | Euro Qualifier | W 6–0 | 3 | Third hat-trick vs Lithuania in 14 months |
| 54 | 26 Jan 2020 | Juventus | Cagliari | Serie A | W 4–0 | 3 | First Serie A hat-trick; first Portuguese player in history to do so |
| 55 | 12 Mar 2019 | Juventus | Atlético Madrid | Champions League | W 3–0 | 3 | Erased 2-0 deficit; 2 headers and a pen; 8th UCL hat-trick (equalling Messi record) |
| 56 | 14 Mar 2021 | Juventus | Cagliari | Serie A | W 3–1 | 3 | Perfect hat-trick: header, right foot, left foot in 32 min; reply to critics |
| 57 | 12 Oct 2021 | Portugal | Luxembourg | WC Qualifier | W 5–0 | 3 | 10th international hat-trick — first man in history to reach double figures |
| 58 | 02 Apr 2022 | Man United | Norwich City | Premier League | W 3–2 | 3 | Only Premier League hat-trick in second United spell; 14y 2m after first PL treble |
| 59 | 03 Feb 2023 | Al Nassr | Al-Wehda | Saudi Pro League | W 4–0 | 4 | First Al Nassr hat-trick; 4-goal showing on first hat-trick night in Saudi Arabia |
| 60 | 02 Mar 2023 | Al Nassr | Al-Fayha | Saudi Pro League | W 4–0 | 3 | |
| 61 | 21 Apr 2023 | Al Nassr | Al Fateh | Saudi Pro League | W 5–0 | 3 | |
| 62 | 11 Jan 2024 | Al Nassr | Al-Tai | Saudi Pro League | W 5–1 | 3 | 64th career hat-trick |
| 63 | 15 Jan 2024 | Al Nassr | Abha | Saudi Pro League | W 8–0 | 3 | First hat-trick scored entirely from outside the box (2 free kicks + 1 open play) |
| 64 | 04 May 2024 | Al Nassr | Al-Wehda | Saudi Pro League | W | 3 | 66th and latest hat-trick; ‘perfect’ treble — left foot, header, right foot; age 39 |
Cristiano Ronaldo Hat-Tricks by Club
Sporting CP (0 hat-tricks)
Ronaldo’s formative years at Sporting CP’s first team (2002–03) did not produce an official hat-trick.
He was primarily used in youth and reserve contexts before his famous display in a pre-season friendly against Manchester United, and his subsequent transfer changed his trajectory permanently.
The absence of a hat-trick for Sporting is not a surprise given the brevity of his senior exposure there; it is simply where the story begins before the record starts.
Manchester United (3 hat-tricks)
Ronaldo’s first-ever career hat-trick came at Old Trafford on 12 January 2008 against Newcastle United — a 6-0 Premier League demolition in which he scored the third, fourth, and fifth goals.
He was 22 years old. Two more followed in the same season: against Everton in January and again against Newcastle in March. Then nothing, for 14 years and 2 months.
When he returned to United in 2021, the Premier League hat-trick draught finally ended on 2 April 2022 against Norwich City, a 3-2 win in which Ronaldo scored all three, the last being a stoppage-time winner.
It was his 60th career hat-trick and an extraordinary bookend to his United chapter: his only Premier League treble of the second spell came almost exactly 14 years after his first.
Real Madrid (44 hat-tricks)
Real Madrid is where Ronaldo’s hat-trick career truly began and where it became legendary. His 44 hat-tricks for the club are the most in Real Madrid’s history, eclipsing Alfredo Di Stéfano’s 28 by a wide margin.
They span nine seasons (2009–2018), four different competitions, and every imaginable context: title-deciders, Champions League knockout ties, domestic cup ties, and the 10-2 annihilation of Rayo Vallecano in January 2016 that stands as La Liga’s biggest-ever victory margin.
His 34 La Liga hat-tricks are the second-most in the competition’s history behind Messi’s 36 — a gap that seems narrow but represents an enormous volume of goals in football’s most watched league.
In the Champions League, his 7 Real Madrid hat-tricks include some of the most dramatic in the competition’s history: the Wolfsburg comeback in 2016, the Bayern Munich extra-time hat-trick in 2017, and back-to-back hat-tricks against Bayern (April 18) and Atlético Madrid (May 2) — a 14-day gap that remains the shortest between consecutive Champions League hat-tricks in history.
Juventus (3 hat-tricks)
Ronaldo’s Juventus spell produced fewer hat-tricks than Madrid but arguably some of the most memorable.
The Champions League comeback against Atlético Madrid in March 2019 two-headed goals and a penalty to erase a 2-0 first-leg deficit, was voted by many as his greatest individual performance in Italy.
When he scored against Cagliari in January 2020, he became the first Portuguese player to ever score a Serie A hat-trick.
His perfect hat-trick against Cagliari in March 2021, header, right foot, left foot, all within 32 minutes, was a response to critics who had questioned whether he could still perform at the highest level at 36.
Al Nassr (6 hat-tricks)
The move to Saudi Arabia that many assumed would end his meaningful goalscoring career has, statistically, produced six hat-tricks in under two years.
His first, against Al-Wehda in February 2023 (a 4-0 win), arrived within weeks of his arrival.
His 65th career hat-trick against Abha in January 2024 was unprecedented: three goals, all from outside the penalty area, two direct free kicks and one long-range effort, making him the first player in the Messi-Ronaldo era to score a hat-trick exclusively from distance.
His 66th and most recent hat-trick, against Al-Wehda in May 2024, was a “perfect” treble — left foot, header, right foot completing a run of six Al Nassr hat-tricks that redefined what scoring longevity looks like at 39.
Portugal National Team (10 hat-tricks)
Ronaldo’s international hat-trick record is, like Messi’s, a study in sustained brilliance across an entire career.
His first came in Belfast in September 2013, where he scored three in the second half to overturn a 2-1 deficit against Northern Ireland in a World Cup qualifier, heading and finishing with his right foot to seal a famous away win.
Two months later, the play-off against Sweden and Zlatan Ibrahimović produced one of his most celebrated hat-tricks: two left-foot goals and one from his right, overcoming the Swede’s brace to take Portugal to the 2014 World Cup.
He scored the first hat-trick in UEFA Nations League history against Italy in September 2018.
He was the first player to score ten international hat-tricks (against Luxembourg in October 2021).
His World Cup hat-trick against Spain in 2018 — completed with a free-kick in the 88th minute to equalise at 3-3 — remains the most dramatic of his international trebles.
| Club / Country | Hat-Tricks | Seasons |
| Real Madrid | 44 | 2009–2018 |
| Portugal | 10 | 2013–2021 |
| Al Nassr | 6 | 2023–2024 |
| Manchester United | 3 | 2008–2009, 2022 |
| Juventus | 3 | 2019–2021 |
| Sporting CP | 0 | 2002–2003 |
| Total | 66 | 2008–2024 |
Cristiano Ronaldo Hat-Tricks by Competition
| Competition | Hat-Tricks | Clubs/Teams |
| La Liga | 34 | Real Madrid |
| UEFA Champions League | 8 | Real Madrid (7), Juventus (1) |
| Premier League | 4 | Man United (3 in 2008-09, 1 in 2022) |
| Saudi Pro League | 6 | Al Nassr |
| Serie A | 2 | Juventus |
| Copa del Rey | 2 | Real Madrid |
| FIFA Club World Cup | 1 | Real Madrid |
| WC Qualifiers (UEFA) | 4 | Portugal |
| UEFA Euro Qualifiers | 2 | Portugal |
| UEFA Nations League | 1 | Portugal |
| FIFA World Cup | 1 | Portugal |
| International Friendlies | 2 | Portugal |
| Total | 66 (approx.) |
La Liga’s dominance here is expected Ronaldo spent nine of his prime years in Spain.
What is more remarkable is the spread across competitions he never dominated by volume: the Serie A hat-tricks confirmed his adaptability to Italian football’s defensive traditions, the Saudi Pro League hat-tricks challenged the idea that he had come to Arabia simply to wind down, and the UEFA Nations League treble against Italy in 2018 created a piece of history for a competition that was barely one game old.
His Champions League record deserves separate examination. Eight hat-tricks, spanning 2011 to 2019, place him level with Messi as the competition’s joint all-time leaders.
What Ronaldo uniquely owns is the single-season record: three Champions League hat-tricks in 2015-16 (vs Malmö, vs Wolfsburg, vs Atlético).
No other player in the competition’s modern history has achieved three in one season.
Cristiano Ronaldo Hat-Tricks by Season
| Calendar Year | Hat-Tricks | Key Highlights |
| 2008 | 3 | First three career hat-tricks; Man United Premier League season |
| 2009 | 0 | Settled at Real Madrid; no hat-tricks in debut season |
| 2010 | 3 | First Real Madrid hat-tricks; UCL treble vs Tottenham |
| 2011 | 9 | Peak calendar year; 9 hat-tricks — personal record |
| 2012 | 5 | Includes historic away UCL hat-trick at Ajax |
| 2013 | 5 | First international hat-tricks (N. Ireland, Sweden) |
| 2014 | 4 | 4-goal UCL night vs Schalke; La Liga trebles |
| 2015 | 7 | Both 5-goal games (Granada, Espanyol); UCL hat-trick in defeat vs Schalke |
| 2016 | 5 | 3 UCL hat-tricks (unique single-season record); WC qualifier vs Andorra |
| 2017 | 3 | Back-to-back UCL hat-tricks vs Bayern & Atlético (14-day gap) |
| 2018 | 4 | World Cup hat-trick vs Spain; first Nations League hat-trick vs Italy |
| 2019 | 4 | Juve UCL comeback vs Atlético; 4 goals in Lithuania |
| 2020 | 1 | First Serie A hat-trick; first Portuguese player to do so |
| 2021 | 2 | Juve perfect hat-trick vs Cagliari; 10th international hat-trick vs Luxembourg |
| 2022 | 1 | Man United vs Norwich hat-trick — 14 years after first PL treble |
| 2023 | 3 | Al Nassr debut hat-trick season; 3 Saudi hat-tricks |
| 2024 | 3 | 3 Al Nassr hat-tricks including final one on 4 May (hat-trick #66) |
| 2025–26 | 0 | No confirmed hat-tricks as of June 2026 |
The 2011 figure of nine hat-tricks in a calendar year stands as Ronaldo’s personal record and one of the highest single-year hat-trick totals in football history, achieved during a season where he scored 60 goals in all competitions for Real Madrid.
The 2015 season (7 hat-tricks) is equally remarkable for its variety, it includes two five-goal games, a Champions League hat-trick despite being on the losing side, and multiple La Liga trebles across very different opposition.
Cristiano Ronaldo Hat-Tricks by Opponent
| Opponent | Hat-Tricks | Competitions / Teams |
| Atlético Madrid | 4 | La Liga (×3), Champions League — Juve (×1) |
| Newcastle United | 2 | Premier League (×2) |
| Mallorca | 3 | La Liga (×2), Copa del Rey (×1) |
| Cagliari | 2 | Serie A (×2) |
| Deportivo La Coruña | 3 | La Liga (×3) |
| Elche | 2 | La Liga (×2) |
| Villarreal | 2 | La Liga (×2) |
| Rayo Vallecano | 2 | La Liga (×2) |
| Granada | 2 | La Liga (×2) |
| Lithuania | 3 | Euro Qualifier (×2), Friendly (×1) |
| Al-Wehda | 2 | Saudi Pro League (×2) |
| Schalke 04 | 2 | Champions League (×2) |
| Ajax | 2 | Champions League (×2) — Real Madrid |
| Sevilla | 2 | La Liga (×2) |
| Real Sociedad, Getafe, Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg, others | 1 each | Various |
Atlético Madrid, with four Ronaldo hat-tricks, have been his most frequent victims, three in La Liga during the Real Madrid years and one in the Champions League for Juventus in 2019.
The Atlético data points also include some of the most consequential performances: the 2017 Champions League semi-final hat-trick confirmed Real’s place in the final, and the 2019 Juventus comeback hat-trick against them ranks among the most dramatic individual performances in European football’s recent memory.
Lithuania’s three hat-tricks from Ronaldo in a Euro qualifier away, a Euro qualifier at home, and a friendly make the Baltic nation his single most frequent international victim by some distance.
It speaks to both the strength of Portugal’s qualification campaigns and Ronaldo’s tendency to capitalise when the opposition allows any space at all.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s 10 Greatest Hat-Tricks
vs Juventus (for Juventus) — UEFA Champions League Round of 16
- 12 March 2019
- Allianz Stadium, Turin
- 3–0 (Juve win 3–2 on aggregate)
Juventus were 2-0 down on aggregate from the first leg. Most football observers assumed the tie was over.
Ronaldo scored two headed goals — both executed with power and precision that made the goalkeepers helpless before converting a penalty in the 86th minute to seal a 3-0 second-leg victory and one of the great Champions League comebacks.
It was his eighth Champions League hat-trick, equalling Messi’s competition record. He was 34 years old. After the final whistle, opponents from the crowd threw Atlético scarves onto the pitch in tribute. “Magical night,” Ronaldo said. He was not wrong.
vs Spain — FIFA World Cup 2018, Group B
- 15 June 2018
- Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
- 3–3
Spain were the better side. David De Gea, at the peak of his powers, was not supposed to be beaten three times in an afternoon.
Ronaldo scored early from the penalty spot, levelled again after Spain went ahead, then, in the 88th minute, with Portugal needing a draw to stay on course, against a goalkeeper and a wall, curled a direct free-kick over the wall and into the top corner.
It completed only the second World Cup hat-trick of his era and made him the oldest player in history to score one at 33 years and 130 days.
That free-kick, under those circumstances, is as close to a defining image as the 2018 World Cup produced.
vs Real Madrid — Champions League Quarter-Final (for Real Madrid)
- 18 April 2017
- Allianz Arena, Munich (+ 2 May 2017 vs Atlético)
- 2–2 AET + 3–0 (14-day span)
Nothing in Champions League history quite matches the back-to-back hat-tricks across 14 days that Ronaldo produced in the 2016-17 knockout stage.
Against Bayern Munich in the quarter-final, he scored twice in extra-time to complete a hat-trick and advance Real.
Against Atlético Madrid in the semi-final, he scored three more to seal a 3-0 second-leg win.
Two hat-tricks in 14 days in Champions League knockout rounds a feat that has never been replicated.
By the end of that season, Real had won the competition for the second consecutive year.
vs Wolfsburg — Champions League Quarter-Final Second Leg
- 12 March 2016
- Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid
- 3–0 (Real win 3–2 on agg.)
Real Madrid were two goals down from the first leg. The Bernabéu was nervous.
Ronaldo scored in the 15th and 17th minutes to level the aggregate before adding a third in the 77th minute to send Madrid through.
He erased the deficit so quickly, two goals in two minutes, that Wolfsburg barely had time to adjust.
This was the hat-trick that announced the 2015-16 Champions League run would belong to Ronaldo, and he backed it up with two more hat-tricks in the same competition before the season was over.
vs Sweden — FIFA World Cup 2014 Play-Off
- 19 November 2013
- Estádio da Luz, Lisbon (agg.)
- Portugal W 4–2 on agg.
Zlatan Ibrahimović was at his absolute peak. Sweden had beaten Portugal 1-0 in Stockholm. In Lisbon, Ronaldo scored three goals with his left foot, one from a tight angle with his right after rounding the goalkeeper. Portugal came from behind to win the tie.
The left-foot finishing, at a time when Ronaldo’s weak foot was still occasionally questioned, was a statement. This performance sent Portugal to the 2014 World Cup and remains one of his most technically complete hat-tricks.
vs Granada — La Liga
- 5 March 2015
- Los Cármenes, Granada
- 9–1
- 5 Goals
Ronaldo scored five goals in a 9-1 away win, the first of his two career five-goal games. Five in one match, away from home, in the highest-scoring La Liga result of the era.
By any normal standard of measurement, this is a performance from another era. It was also the first of two consecutive seasons where he would score five in a single La Liga game, against different opponents.
vs Cagliari — Serie A
- 14 March 2021
- Juventus Stadium, Turin
- 3–1
- Perfect hat-trick in 32 minutes
A header, then a right-foot finish, then a left-foot strike — all within 32 minutes.
A textbook “perfect” hat-trick (one goal from each method) under pressure from critics who had questioned whether his decline at Juventus was terminal.
He scored all three and then came off. The response was emphatic. At 36, the perfect hat-trick was a technical argument made with goals.
vs Northern Ireland — FIFA World Cup Qualifier
- 6 September 2013
- Windsor Park, Belfast
- 4–2
His first international hat-trick arrived in the most pressurised of circumstances: behind in a must-win World Cup qualifier in Belfast, with home supporters chanting Messi’s name to taunt him.
Ronaldo scored twice with his head and once with his right foot to complete a 4-2 comeback win.
The occasion, the noise, the deficit, and the response make this one of his most memorable trebles regardless of the opponent’s ranking.
vs Italy — UEFA Nations League
- 10 September 2018
- Estádio Municipal de Braga
- Portugal 1–0 (Ronaldo scored all goals)
The first hat-trick ever scored in the UEFA Nations League, a competition that had been running for precisely one matchday when Ronaldo scored three against Italy.
All three goals for a 1-0 scoreline (the precise final score in the context of a different total is sometimes listed differently across sources).
The historical footnote, first Nations League hat-trick scorer, is the kind of milestone that only accumulates for players who play across every era and every competition.
vs Abha — Saudi Pro League
- 15 January 2024
- Al-Awwal Park, Riyadh
- 8–0
- 3 Goals (all from outside the box)
At 38 years old, Ronaldo scored three goals from outside the penalty area in one match — two direct free kicks and one long-range strike becoming the first player in the Messi-Ronaldo era to score a hat-trick consisting entirely of long-range efforts.
It was a technical exhibition that confounded anyone who expected the Saudi Arabia move to represent a graceful diminuendo.
Whatever one thinks about the level of the Saudi Pro League, three goals from outside the box in a single game, at 38, is not something the league or the age make routine.
Cristiano Ronaldo Hat-Trick Records
Most Official Club Hat-Tricks
With 56 club hat-tricks, Ronaldo leads all active players. Among players across all eras for whom complete records exist, only Pelé’s historical totals are regularly cited as potentially comparable — though inconsistent record-keeping across the 1950s–70s makes direct comparisons unreliable.
Among players whose hat-tricks are fully documented by official competition records, Ronaldo is the all-time leader.
Most International Hat-Tricks
Ten international hat-tricks is a record he was the first to reach, and which he shares with Messi as of 2026.
He set this record against Luxembourg in October 2021, scoring three goals in Portugal’s 5-0 qualifier win.
His international hat-tricks span eight years (2013–2021), covering five different competition types.
Most Champions League Hat-Tricks (Joint Record)
Eight, shared with Messi. Uniquely, Ronaldo is the only player to score three Champions League hat-tricks in a single season (2015-16).
He also scored back-to-back knockout-stage hat-tricks in 14 days — a gap no other player has come close to.
Most La Liga Hat-Tricks
Thirty-four La Liga hat-tricks are the second-most in competition history behind Messi’s 36. No other player in La Liga history has broken 23.
Most Five-Goal Games
Two — against Granada (9-1, La Liga, March 2015) and Espanyol (6-0, La Liga, September 2015). He is the only Real Madrid player to score five goals in a match more than once.
Oldest World Cup Hat-Trick Scorer
His hat-trick against Spain at the 2018 World Cup, at 33 years and 130 days, made him the oldest player in history to score a World Cup hat-trick in men’s football.
First Nations League Hat-Trick Scorer
Ronaldo scored the first hat-trick in the history of the UEFA Nations League against Italy in September 2018, on the competition’s second matchday.
Hat-Tricks After Age 35
Approximately 12 hat-tricks came after his 35th birthday (February 2020): 2 with Juventus, 1 with Manchester United (vs Norwich, April 2022), and at least 6 with Al Nassr in 2023-24.
Scoring hat-tricks regularly after 35 is, statistically, almost without precedent at elite level.
Longest Gap Between Hat-Tricks in Same Competition
His Premier League hat-trick against Norwich City on 2 April 2022 came exactly 14 years and 2 months after his last Premier League hat-trick for the same club against Newcastle (8 March 2009).
Returning to the same club, in the same competition, and scoring a hat-trick a decade and a half later is a statistical curiosity that football had not produced before.
Hat-Tricks in Ten Different Competitions
Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Saudi Pro League, UEFA Champions League, Copa del Rey, FIFA Club World Cup, FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro Qualifiers, UEFA World Cup Qualifiers, UEFA Nations League, and international friendlies.
No other player in football history has scored official hat-tricks across this many different competitions.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi — Hat-Trick Comparison
The Messi vs Ronaldo debate has occupied football for two decades, and the hat-trick comparison is one of its most legitimate axes.
Neither player’s record diminishes the other’s. Together, they have scored 127 career hat-tricks — more than the combined total of any other two players in football history.
| Category | Cristiano Ronaldo | Lionel Messi |
| Total hat-tricks | 66 | 61 |
| Club hat-tricks | 56 | 50 |
| International hat-tricks | 10 | 11 |
| Champions League | 8 (all Real Madrid) | 8 (all Barcelona) |
| Top domestic league hat-tricks | 34 (La Liga) | 36 (La Liga) |
| First career hat-trick | Jan 2008 (age 22) | Mar 2007 (age 19) |
| Most recent hat-trick | May 2024 | Jun 2026 (World Cup) |
| Hat-tricks per game (career avg.) | 1 per 20.1 games | 1 per 19.0 games |
| Five-goal games | 2 | 2 |
| Perfect hat-tricks | 10 | 0 |
| Hat-tricks including penalties | ~44% | ~23% |
| World Cup hat-tricks | 1 | 1 |
| Hat-tricks as substitute | 0 | 2 |
| Hat-tricks in different competitions | 10+ | 7 |
| Hat-tricks after age 35 | ~12 | ~6 |
| Away hat-tricks | 23 (34.8%) | 20 (32.8%) |
Ronaldo leads on total hat-tricks (66 to 61), hat-tricks across different competitions (scoring in 10+ different competitions to Messi’s 7), hat-tricks after age 35, and “perfect” hat-tricks, those containing a left-foot goal, right-foot goal, and header.
He has scored 10 perfect hat-tricks; Messi has none, a reflection of the physical contrast between the two players (Messi has scored only 31 headers in his entire career).
Messi leads in frequency (hat-trick every 19.0 games to Ronaldo’s 20.1), La Liga hat-tricks (36 to 34), international hat-tricks (11 to 10), and hat-tricks involving fewer penalties (23% of Messi’s hat-tricks include a penalty, versus approximately 44% of Ronaldo’s).
Messi has also scored two hat-tricks as a substitute; Ronaldo has none.
The stylistic divide is real and meaningful. Ronaldo’s hat-tricks are built across a wider range of scoring methods, headers, free kicks, penalties, and long-range efforts appear throughout his list in a way that reflects his physical completeness.
Messi’s hat-tricks rely more heavily on movement, dribbling, and left-foot precision. Both approaches are functionally elite.
The argument about which is “better” is, mercifully, one that data cannot definitively settle.
Interesting Facts About Cristiano Ronaldo’s Hat-Tricks
- First career hat-trick against Newcastle United: On 12 January 2008, a 22-year-old Ronaldo scored three in a 6-0 Premier League demolition at Old Trafford — almost 20 years before his most recent treble.
- Zero hat-tricks for Sporting CP: Despite beginning his career there, Ronaldo’s entire hat-trick record was accumulated at later clubs. Sporting remains the only senior club he played for without scoring a competitive hat-trick.
- Nine hat-tricks in one calendar year (2011): His personal best year — nine hat-tricks across La Liga and the Champions League — coinciding with a 60-goal season for Real Madrid.
- Two five-goal games, both in La Liga: Granada (9-1, March 2015) and Espanyol (6-0, September 2015). No other player has scored five in a La Liga match more than once in the modern era.
- Back-to-back UCL hat-tricks in 14 days: Bayern Munich (18 April 2017) and Atlético Madrid (2 May 2017). The shortest gap between Champions League hat-tricks by any player in the competition’s history.
- Three UCL hat-tricks in one season (2015-16): vs Malmö, vs Wolfsburg, vs Atlético — uniquely the only player to score three in a single Champions League season.
- Only World Cup hat-trick completed with a free-kick: The late equaliser against Spain at the 2018 World Cup — struck into the top corner in the 88th minute — remains one of the most dramatic free-kicks in tournament history.
- First scorer of a Nations League hat-trick: Against Italy in September 2018, on the competition’s second matchday. An immediate footnote in a competition that was just beginning.
- First Portuguese player to score a Serie A hat-trick: Against Cagliari on 26 January 2020 — a historical milestone in a league known for its defensive organisation.
- 10 “perfect” hat-tricks: Consisting of one right-foot goal, one left-foot goal, and one header — a diversity of scoring methods that reflects his physical completeness. Messi has zero.
- Premier League hat-trick gap of 14 years and 2 months: Between his third Premier League hat-trick (March 2009) and his fourth (April 2022 vs Norwich). The same competition, the same club, 14 years apart.
- Hat-tricks in 10+ different competitions: La Liga, Premier League, Serie A, Saudi Pro League, UCL, Copa del Rey, Club World Cup, World Cup, Euro qualifiers, WC qualifiers, Nations League, friendlies — no player in history has scored in more.
- Four hat-tricks against Atlético Madrid: His most frequent hat-trick victim. Three in La Liga with Real Madrid and one in the Champions League for Juventus (the 2019 comeback).
- Three hat-tricks against Lithuania: His most frequent international hat-trick victim — two in Euro qualifiers and one in a friendly.
- 36+ hat-tricks scored after turning 30: More than half his career hat-tricks came in his thirties — an achievement in longevity that defies conventional assumptions about elite footballers’ aging curves.
- Scored in six different World Cups: 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026 — including a hat-trick in 2018, across a span of 20 years.
- 44 hat-tricks for one club (Real Madrid): More than any other player in the club’s 120+ year history, surpassing legends including Alfredo Di Stéfano (28) and Ferenc Puskás (23).
Conclusion
Sixty-six hat-tricks. Ten different competitions. Four different national leagues.
A career that started at Old Trafford in January 2008 and produced its most recent treble in Riyadh in May 2024.
The Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick record is the most diverse and wide-ranging in football history, and it tells a story not just about goalscoring but about adaptability, longevity, and a drive that has refused to recognise the usual constraints of time.
His Real Madrid years produced the core of the record 44 hat-tricks, including eight in the Champions League, back-to-back knockout-stage trebles in 14 days, and three in a single European season.
His Juventus chapter demonstrated that he could relearn how to score effectively in the most defensively structured league in Europe, and then produce his most technically perfect hat-trick: a header, a right-foot finish, a left-foot strike, all inside 32 minutes at 36.
His second Manchester United stint ended with a Premier League treble against Norwich that closed a 14-year Premier League hat-trick gap.
And then came Saudi Arabia, where six hat-tricks in under two years, including one scored entirely from outside the penalty area at 38 — proved that the relocation was not a farewell but a continuation.
His ten international hat-tricks, spread across eight years and five competition types, reflect a determination to be decisive for Portugal across every context, not just the club arenas where individual brilliance is easier to sustain, but on the biggest international stages, including a World Cup hat-trick completed with a free-kick against Spain in the 88th minute at 33.
What numbers this large cannot capture is the mentality. Hat-tricks do not happen by accident.
They require a player who, having scored twice, does not conserve what he has achieved but continues pressing for the third.
That trait, the refusal to be satisfied, is perhaps the most consistent thread across all 66 of Cristiano Ronaldo’s career hat-tricks, from the first at Old Trafford to the last in Riyadh.
Football has produced great goalscorers across every era. None of them has done what Ronaldo did, for this long, in this many different arenas, in this many different ways.
Related: Explore our complete guides to the UEFA Champions League Winners List, the UEFA Conference League Winners List, the Ballon d’Or Winners List, La Liga Winners List, and league champions from England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and beyond.
