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Kylian Mbappé moves 4th
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The Champions League is the pinnacle of club football and the most prestigious UEFA competition. For players, only the World Cup can eclipse the allure and importance of the Champions League but it arguably remains the pinnacle for supporters of clubs all across the world. The European Cup was first established in 1955 with Real Madrid winning the first inaugural competition with a stunning comeback 4-3 against French club Reims.
The European Cup was rebranded to the Champions League in 1992 with the group stages added with increased importance on the commercial aspect. Real Madrid are the most successful club in the competition's history with 15 titles and all the biggest stars to play the beautiful game have graced the pitch in the Champions League. And using Transfermarkt's unrivalled database, we’ve compiled a list of the players to score the most hat-tricks in the competition.
The most hat-tricks in Champions League history
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were unquestionably the greatest players of their generation and they hold numerous records in the Champions League. And the legendary duo are tied for most hat-tricks in the famous competition with eight but Messi ranks first as he reached that milestone in fewer games. The magical Argentinian played 163 games in the competition with all his hat-tricks arriving for Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the record goalscorer in the Champions League with 140 goals in 183 games and he scored seven of his hat-tricks with Real Madrid, plus one with Juventus. Robert Lewandowski could still feasibly match the record as he’s still playing for Barcelona with the prolific Polish striker on six hat-tricks. Kylian Mbappé recorded his fourth hat-trick in the competition for Real Madrid against Kairat Almaty and he’s now level with fellow countryman Karim Benzema.
