How Many Times Has a Player Netted Three Goals in a Game?

World Cup Hat Tricks: How Many Times Has a Player Netted Three Goals in a Game? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The FIFA World Cup stage is one of the biggest soccer tournaments in the world, and a soccer player completing a “hat trick” at the World Cup is one of the biggest accomplishments in a player’s career.

Since the World Cup was first held in Uruguay back in 1930, a total of 48 players have struck a hat trick on the global soccer stage with such famous names as Pele, Cristiano Ronaldo and Just Fontaine on the list.

Portugal striker Goncalo Ramos is the latest player to score a hat trick on the World Cup stage. Ramos scored the first hat trick of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 against Switzerland in the second half of the round of 16 clash at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar on Wednesday.

He scored the first goal in the 17th minute on the pitch.

He then doubled it earlier in the second half.

Here’s a look at the history of the “hat trick” in the World Cup and the players who have scored the three thrilling goals in a World Cup game:

What is a hat trick?

A “hat trick” is a player who scores three goals in the same game.

How many hat tricks have occurred in World Cup history?

While 48 players have previously scored a hat trick at the World Cup, in total 52 hat tricks have been scored.

Here’s a list of all the hat tricks scored at the World Cup:

Has a player ever scored more than one hat trick in a World Cup?

Since the World Cup debut in 1930, only four players have scored more than one hat trick:

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Sandor Kocsis  – Hungary (2) 

Hungary’s Sandor Kocsis of Hungary scored two different hat tricks in two World Cup group stages. His first came during the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland in a 9-0 win over South Korea and the second came in an 8-3 victory against West Germany.

Just Fontaine  – France (2)

Just Fontaine was the second player to score two World Cup hat tricks during the same tournament. In the 1958 Sweden World Cup, Fontaine netted his first hat trick in a 7-3 victory over Paraguay in the group stage and then struck four goals in the third-place match vs. West Germany.

Gerd Muller  – West Germany (2)

Just 12 years after Fontaine’s hat tricks in Sweden, West Germany’s Gerd Muller became the third player to score multiple World Cup hat tricks. Both of his three-goal performances came during the 1970 Mexico World Cup during consecutive group-stage outings. The first was scored in a 5-2 win over Bulgaria and the second in a 3-1 victory against Peru.

Gabriel Batistuta  – Argentina (2)

Argentina’s Gabriel Batistuta is the only player on the list who has scored more than one hat trick in two different World Cup editions. The Argentine striker netted his first against Greece during the 1994 World Cup group stages in the USA and his second came four years later in a 5-0 demolition of Jamaica in Paris at France in 1998.

Which nation has scored the most hat tricks in the World Cup?

Throughout World Cup history, no nation has produced more hat tricks than Germany (7).

How many hat tricks have been scored in Qatar?

Only one.

Portugal’s Goncalo Ramos scored the first hat trick of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar against Switzerland in the second half of the round of 16 clash.

Before Qatar, England’s Harry Kane was the last player to score a hat trick at the World Cup. His three strikes came on June 24, 2018, as the Three Lions defeated Panama 6-1 during the group stage of the Russia 2018 World Cup.