Scoring a goal is one of the most difficult tasks in soccer. It requires immense quality and awareness to be in the right place at the right time and make the connection that takes the ball beyond the goalkeeper. One can only imagine the level of finesse, quality, and determination it takes to beat the goalkeeper thrice over the course of the 90 minutes.
Only the finest strikers in the world can call themselves hat-trick heroes, and today, we will shed light on five players who attained/retained that status last year. Now, without further ado, let’s check out five players who scored the most hat-tricks across the top 10 leagues and their associated competitions in 2023:
#5 Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur/Bayern Munich): 3 Hat-Tricks
Between Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich, Harry Kane played 48 matches in club soccer in 2023, scoring a whopping 43 goals. The England skipper also managed to score three hat-tricks last year.
All three of Kane’s trebles in 2023 came for the Bavarians, with the first one arriving in a 7-0 win over VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga on September 23. On October 28, Kane netted his second one, helping Bayern to an 8-0 win over Darmstadt 98 on Matchday 9 of the 2023-24 Bundesliga season. His most memorable hat-trick arrived just six days later in Gameweek 10 as the German champions thumped their rivals Borussia Dortmund 4-0 at Signal Iduna Park.
#4 Alexandre Lacazette (Olympique Lyon): 3 Hat-Tricks
Another former resident of north London, Alexandre Lacazette enjoyed a fine 2023. He played 37 matches for Olympique Lyon, scoring a whopping 28 times. Out of his 28 goals, 10 came from three hat-tricks.
The former Arsenal striker scored his first hat-trick in Lyon’s 3-0 win over Chambery SF in Coupe de France on January 21. On May 7, he added another, scoring four times in a 5-4 victory over Montpellier in Ligue 1. His final treble of 2023 arrived in a 3-0 Ligue 1 win over Toulouse on December 10.
#3 Karim Benzema (Real Madrid): 3 Hat-Tricks
Sending shockwaves around the soccer fraternity, Karim Benzema left Real Madrid as a free agent at the end of his contract on June 30, 2023. He officially joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in July. The French superstar played only 30 games for Los Blancos in 2023 but ended up scoring three hat-tricks.
Benzema scored all three of his hat-tricks in April 2023, starting with the treble in a 6-0 win over Real Valladolid in La Liga on April 2. Three days later, Benzema once again took the match ball home, scoring a scintillating hat-trick as Madrid beat Barcelona 4-0 in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals. His final hat-trick for Los Blancos arrived in a 4-2 victory over Almeria in La Liga on April 29.
#2 Erling Haaland (Manchester City): 4 Hat-Tricks
Arguably the best center-forward in the world, Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland scored 44 goals for his club in 2023, including four hat-tricks. The Norwegian superstar played 54 matches for the Cityzens in all competitions last year.
Haaland, who scored a mammoth 52 goals in his debut campaign at the Etihad Stadium, scored his first hat-trick of the year in a 3-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on January 22. His second, a five-goal haul, came in a massive 7-0 annihilation of RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on March 14. Haaland’s third hat-trick came against Burnley in the FA Cup on March 18 while his last treble of 2023 arrived in a 5-1 Premier League win over Fulham on September 2.
#1 Gift Orban (KAA Gent): 5 Hat-Tricks
Beating Karim Benzema and Erling Haaland to the punch, KAA Gent center-forward Gift Orban finished 2023 with the most hat-tricks. The 21-year-old Nigerian forward scored five hat-tricks in 51 matches in all competitions in 2023.
Orban’s first hat-trick came in a 6-2 win over SV Zulte Waregem in the Juliper Pro League on March 12. He scored his next one only three days later in a 4-1 win over Basaksehir in the second leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League Round of 16. Orban’s last hat-trick of 2023 came against Breidablik in the UEFA Europa Conference League on November 9. Owing to his brilliance, Gent secured a 3-2 victory on the night.
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