Home » What Is a Hat Trick in Football?

What Is a Hat Trick in Football?

Hat Trick in Football Meaning

If you are asking what is a hat trick in football, the answer is simple: one player scores three goals in the same match. The goals can come at any point of the match, and they do not need to be consecutive. The term also appears in cricket and other sports, but here it refers to association football.

ℹ️ Quick answer

The hat trick meaning is three goals by one scorer in one game. It is a personal scoring feat, not a team total.

According to a hat-trick overview, the hat trick in football is now a standard phrase for a standout scoring display, but its roots are older than the game’s modern use. The phrase began in cricket in 1858 after H. H. Stephenson took three wickets with three consecutive deliveries, and the first known print use appeared in the Chelmsford Chronicle in 1865.

For beginners, the hat trick meaning is easier if you separate the player from the team. A team may score three goals, yet no hat trick exists unless the same scorer gets all three. The Cambridge Dictionary similarly describes a hat trick as a player scoring three times in the same game.

In everyday football talk, a hat trick in football marks a special individual achievement. Fans may also hear about a brace for two goals, a perfect hat trick using right foot, left foot and header, or a match ball kept by the scorer. Those terms add detail, but the core idea stays three goals by one player.

How Is a Hat Trick Counted?

Many beginners ask, what is a hat trick in football when a match goes beyond 90 minutes? A hat trick in football is counted from goals credited to the same scorer before the match ends. Those goals can arrive in any order, and another teammate may score between them.

Only goals inside the official match count. That includes normal time and, when the competition uses it, extra time. A goal in extra time is part of the match score, so it can complete the three goals just like a goal in the first half.

Counted
- Goals credited to the player in normal time.
- Goals credited to the player in extra time.
- Any third credited goal before a penalty shootout begins.
Not counted
- Penalty shootout goals, because the shootout is separate from the match score.
- Own goals, because they are not credited to the attacking player.
- Goals scored by teammates, even if they help the same result.

Penalty shootout goals are excluded because the shootout decides a tied contest after the match score is complete. They may decide who advances or wins the tie, but they do not change the recorded score for the game. So a player with two goals cannot add a shootout strike to claim three.

Own goals are also excluded from the scorer’s total. If a defender turns the ball into their own net, the goal belongs to the opposition on the scoreboard but not to an attacking scorer. For learning related rules, compare this with a brace, extra time and penalty shootouts.

Hat Trick Rules and Key Facts

The core rule is simple: a hat trick in football belongs to one scorer who gets three goals in the same game. The goals do not need to come in a row, and the team score can include other goals. In plain terms, the hat trick meaning is three credited goals for one player.

Each goal must be credited to that player in the match record. If a teammate scores before, between, or after those goals, it does not remove the hat trick. It only means the three-goal scorer did not complete a natural hat trick, which is explained later.

Goals in normal time count, and goals in extra time also count because they are part of the match. Penalty shootout kicks do not count toward the match tally. An own goal never counts for the player who forced it, because the final touch is credited as an own goal.

Same scorer: one player must score all three; teammate goals are separate entries.
Any order: the first, second and third goals can arrive at any stage.
Valid periods: normal time and extra time count; a penalty shootout stays separate.
No own goals: a deflection credited as an own goal cannot help the attacker.
Match ball: the scorer may traditionally keep the ball as a souvenir.

The tradition of keeping the match ball is not the scoring rule, but it is a strong part of football culture. Officials and clubs may handle the ball differently by competition, yet fans usually see it as the visible reward for a rare scoring feat.

Types of Hat Tricks in Football

The main types describe how the three goals arrive, not whether the treble counts. A standard hat trick in football is any three goals by one scorer in one game. A perfect hat trick adds method: one right foot, one left foot and one header.

The name for each type helps match reports stay precise. Natural focuses on sequence, while flawless narrows the sequence even further. These labels do not change the basic rule: the same player must score the three goals, and own goals or penalty shootout kicks do not help the tally.

Type	Meaning	Example Detail
Standard	Three goals by one player in one match.	Order does not matter; goals need not be consecutive.
Perfect	A perfect hat trick has one right-footed goal, one left-footed goal and one headed goal.	Shows scoring variety with both feet and the head.
Natural	Three consecutive goals by the same player, with no other scorer in between.	Can cross half-time if the sequence stays unbroken.
Flawless	Three goals in a row in one half, without half-time or another scorer interrupting.	Also called lupenreiner in Germany and Austria.

Use the label only when the detail is clear. If reports mention three goals but not the body part or scoring order, call it a standard hat trick. If the player had two goals, the related term is a brace in football, not a smaller hat trick.

Extra time can still produce any of these types if the goals remain part of the match record. A penalty shootout cannot, because shootout kicks decide the result after the game tally is complete. That distinction matters in Premier League records and World Cup history.

Famous Hat Trick Examples

Famous examples make the idea easier: a hat trick in football is not just a statistic, but a match story fans remember. The best cases come from World Cup finals, early international football, women’s football, and the Premier League. They show how three goals can change a game and a scorer’s legacy.

This section is not ranking the fastest hat trick in football history. For record speed, see the next section on Alex Torr, Tommy Ross and Premier League records. Here, the focus is on famous examples that beginners are most likely to hear during World Cup history discussions or match ball debates.

Player	Team or Competition	Year	Why It Matters
Geoff Hurst	World Cup final	1966	Scored three in the final, a landmark World Cup example.
Carli Lloyd	Women’s World Cup final	2015	Scored three in the final, a major women’s football example.
Kylian Mbappe	World Cup final	2022	Scored three in the final, joining a rare World Cup group.
Bert Patenaude	FIFA World Cup	1930	Recorded the first FIFA World Cup hat trick.
Sadio Mane	Southampton, Premier League	2015	Scored three against Aston Villa in 2 minutes 56 seconds.

Sources: Wikipedia and Red Bull.

Hurst, Lloyd and Mbappe stand out because each scored three times on the biggest final stage. For a beginner, they prove that a hat trick is counted by the scorer’s goals in the match, whether the goals come from a header, right foot, left foot, or a penalty taken during play.

Patenaude gives the timeline its starting point, because the 1930 tournament produced the first FIFA World Cup example. Mane gives it a modern Premier League angle. His May 2015 treble for Southampton against Aston Villa is remembered because all three goals arrived inside 2 minutes 56 seconds.

A useful pattern links all five examples: the match mattered before the scorer completed the treble. That is why these moments appear in World Cup history, women’s football summaries, brace comparisons, and match ball stories. They are famous because the goals shaped how people remember the game.

Fastest and Most Hat Tricks

Record lists need context because the hat trick meaning is simple, but record keeping is not. Governing bodies, statisticians and competitions may classify official games differently. That is why record tables can vary, especially for older matches and lower-level competitions.

Record	Player	Detail
Fastest listed	Alex Torr	70 seconds in 2013
Previous noted record	Tommy Ross	90 seconds for Ross County against Nairn County on 28 November 1964
Fastest Premier League	Sadio Mane	2 minutes 56 seconds for Southampton against Aston Villa in May 2015
Most official career hat tricks	Erwin Helmchen	141 official career hat tricks
Pele career total	Pele	92 credited hat tricks

Source: Hat-trick overview.

For the fastest hat trick in football history, Alex Torr is listed at 70 seconds in 2013. Tommy Ross’s 90-second hat trick for Ross County against Nairn County on 28 November 1964 was the previous listed benchmark. These records are rare because a scorer must finish three attacks before the match settles.

Sadio Mane has the Premier League benchmark listed here: 2 minutes 56 seconds for Southampton against Aston Villa in May 2015. That record sits in a different category from global record claims. League records only compare goals within that competition, so they are easier to define than worldwide lists.

Career totals also need careful reading. Erwin Helmchen is credited with 141 official career hat tricks, while Pele is credited with 92. Those numbers do not change the basic rule: every hat trick still comes from three goals by one player in a single game, not from a penalty shootout.

Common Hat Trick Misconceptions

Most mistakes come from mixing match goals with awards, records, or highlight clips. A hat trick in football is simple: one player must score three credited goals in the same game, but the details below decide whether those goals actually count.

Myth	Reality
The three goals must be consecutive.	No. Consecutive scoring only describes a natural hat trick, where no other player scores between those three goals.
A penalty shootout goal can complete one.	No. Shootout kicks decide the result after the match and do not count in the match tally.
An own goal helps the nearest attacker.	No. An own goal is credited against the defending side, not to an attacking player seeking a hat trick.
Extra-time goals are separate from the hat trick.	No. Goals in normal time and extra time count because they are part of the game before any shootout.
A perfect hat trick is the standard rule.	No. Perfect means one right-footed goal, one left-footed goal, and one header; it is a special type.

Use this quick test when checking a match report. Ask whether the scorer was credited with all three goals during the game itself. If yes, it counts; if one goal came from a shootout or an own goal, it does not.

Interesting Hat Trick Facts

The phrase has older roots than football. According to hat-trick history, it began in cricket in 1858, after H. H. Stephenson took three wickets with three consecutive deliveries. The first known print use appeared in the Chelmsford Chronicle in 1865.

In football, the hat trick meaning stayed simple: one scorer gets three goals in a single game. That simplicity helps fans remember it instantly, whether the goals come from a header, right foot, left foot, or a late finish in extra time.

A hat trick also gives commentators a clear story to tell. It marks control, variety, and finishing under pressure. When the goals form a perfect hat trick, the achievement feels even richer because the scorer used both feet and the head.

The match ball tradition turns the moment into a keepsake for the player, not just a statistic.
For supporters, three goals create a chant-worthy memory and a simple way to describe dominance.
For teammates, it often highlights service, movement, and shared attacking rhythm across the match.
For broadcasters, it provides a clean headline and an easy replay package after full-time.

That mix of simple rules, old history, and visible reward explains why the term has lasted. A hat trick is rare enough to stand out, but clear enough for new supporters to understand without a long rulebook.

These related terms help you read match reports and follow guides on a brace in football, extra time, penalty shootouts, Premier League records and World Cup history. They show why three goals by one scorer can raise different questions depending on when and how each goal was scored.

Term	Simple Meaning
Brace	Two goals by the same player in one game.
Hat trick	Three goals by one player in a single game, not necessarily consecutive.
Double hat trick	Informal phrase for six goals by one player in one match.
perfect hat trick	One right-footed goal, one left-footed goal and one header in the same match.
Natural hat trick	Three consecutive goals by one player without another scorer in between.
Match ball	Traditional souvenir a hat-trick scorer may keep after the final whistle.
Extra time	Added playing period where goals still count toward the match tally.
Penalty shootout	Tie-break after the match; those goals do not count toward a hat trick.
Own goal	Goal credited against a team, not toward that player’s hat trick.
World Cup records	Guide area for hat tricks, finals and tournament history.

Hat Trick in Football FAQs

How many goals make a hat trick?

Three goals by the same scorer in one match make a hat trick. A hat trick in football does not have to be consecutive; the goals can be spread across the game.