Robert Lewandowski netted the earliest hat-trick in Champions League history on Tuesday evening.
Having drawn 1-1 in the opening leg of their last-16 tie, Bayern Munich needed their star man to show up in the second leg against Red Bull Salzburg.
And he did just that as scored three times in the opening 24 minutes at the Allianz Arena.
Lewandowski’s first two goals, coming in the 12th and 21st minute, were both from the penalty spot.
He completed his hat-trick, albeit with a huge stroke of luck, just two minutes after scoring his second.
Bayern went on to win the game 7-2 and cruise through to the quarter finals of the competition.
Surprisingly, the Pole did not add any more goals in the remainder of the game but, regardless, he had the honour of taking the match ball home.
His hat-trick against Salzburg is the fifth he has ever scored in Europe’s premier cup competition.
But where does he stand among the players with the most hat-tricks in Champions League history? Find out below…
Roberto Soldado – 2
Marco Simone – 2
Andriy Shevchenko – 2
Michael Owen – 2
Ruud van Nistelrooy – 2
Kylian Mbappe – 2
Roy Makaay – 2
Gabriel Jesus – 2
Olivier Giroud – 2
Samuel Eto’o – 2
Didier Drogba – 2
Andy Cole – 2
Karim Benzema – 2
Sergio Aguero – 2
Neymar – 3
Luiz Adriano – 3
Filippo Inzaghi – 3
Mario Gomez – 3
Robert Lewandowski – 5
Cristiano Ronaldo – 8
Lionel Messi – 8
Lewandowski is now just three hat-tricks away from Ronaldo and Messi, who are both locked on eight hat-tricks apiece.
While Ronaldo and Messi both have opportunities to add to their tallies, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if Lewandowski reels them in at some point.
He’s been in extraordinary form in the last few years and if he continues his brilliance, you wouldn’t bet against him reaching top spot in the next few years.
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Four names have scored three hat-tricks, with the most surprising being Luiz Adriano.
Adriano was a goalscoring machine for Shakhtar Dontesk and is one of only two players to net five times in a single Champions League game, the other being Messi.
Among the players to score two hat-tricks include legends including Drogba and Eto’o, as well as current stars such as Benzema and Mbappe.
