What is a Hat Trick in Soccer?

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You’ve probably heard the term “hat trick” at some point around sports, particularly in soccer and hockey. These are the two most common sports where you’d hear “hat trick”.

What is a hat trick? Or, what is a hat trick in soccer? A hat trick in soccer is when one player scores three goals in a single game.

The same goes for hockey, field hockey, and other sports where goals are the scoring unit.

In soccer and hockey, goals are limited and uncommon throughout a game. Normally you see scores for these sports in the 3-2 range, maybe 5-3 sometimes. Rarely if ever do you see these sports reach double digit scoring. One goal in soccer or hockey by a player is a strong feat. It’s like a homerun in baseball or a touchdown in football. Maybe a player gets one or two a game from time to time, but rarely three. That’s why in soccer and hockey, reaching three goals gets a fun nickname, a “hat trick”.

Again, a hat trick is one player scoring three goals in one game.

Where does the term come from?

Why do they call three goals a hat trick?

 

Why do they call three goals a hat trick? Especially if there’s no hat and no trick.

There are several conflicting stories about the origin of the term “hat trick”. Let’s take a look at the most popular stories.

Hat Trick term history

  • Cricket 1858. The story goes that a player for an all-England Team took three straight wickets at Hyde Park Cricket Grounds. Meaning he hit the three wood stakes behind the cricket batter three times in a row. Because of the rare feat, fans and players collected money to purchase a nice hat. Which they then presented to the player, Bowler H.H. Stephenson.
  • Ice Hockey 1940. “Henri Henri” hat store in Montreal, Canada claims to have coined the phrase. They say that they began awarding free hats to all players who scored three goals during one game at the Montreal Forum.
  • Junior Ice Hockey 1947. Guelph, Canada. A Junior-A hockey team sponsored by Biltmore Hats called the “Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters” used as a marketing tool. To advertise their new style Fedora, they would give away a brand-new hat to any player who scored three goals in one game.
  • Ice Hockey 1946. This story is recognized by most as the true origin of the term “hat trick” in hockey. Before a game in January of 1946, Chicago Blackhawks player Alex Kaleta stopped by a Toronto hat store. He really liked a new style gray fedora with a gray silk band around the top. Kaleta just returned to playing professional hockey after serving in the Canadian Military during WWII and didn’t have enough money. Store owner Sammy Taft cut him a deal. If Kaleta scored three goals that night against the Maple Leafs, he could have the hat for free. Kaleta score 4 goals in the game and came back to the store to claim his free hat, which Taft honored. Taft continued with the “trick” and awarded a free hat to any player who scored three goals in a single game at Maple Leafs Garden.

Hat Trick origination summary

None of these stories however correlate the transition of the term to soccer. Most say the term “hat trick” in soccer or football didn’t originate at one single time in one single place. Nor does it have an interesting story like the several hockey has. It’s widely known that term “hat trick” in soccer comes from British Cricket. There was a time in the late 1800 and early 1900’s where a bowler who retired three batsmen in a row was entitled to a new hat at the expense of the club to honor the feat.

In soccer, the term “hat trick” originates from British Cricket. And in Ice hockey, it’s up for debate but all involve a free hat from a hat store.

What are 4 goals in soccer called?

Now that we covered the history of the hat trick and where the term came from, what about more goals? We already know that one or two goals are great, but three is just rare and amazing. What about more goals, are there fun terms for those as well?

We discussed how three goals is known as a “hat trick”. Not discussed yet is two goals, which is known as a “brace”. You will hear “brace” often if you watch highlights for European Soccer. Particularly the English Premier League.

One player scoring four goals in soccer or hockey is just absurd. It’s extremely rare but does happen. One player scoring four goals in soccer or hockey is called a “haul”. Here is a list of each term for multiple goals in soccer.

Multiple Goal Terms for Soccer

  • 2 goals = Brace
  • 3 goals = Hat Trick
  • 4 goals = Haul
  • 5 goals = Glut
  • 6 goals = Double Hat Trick
  • 7 goals = Haul Trick

Has anyone ever scored a Haul Trick? You’d be shocked to know, it has happened. We’ll cover it later.

What is a Perfect Hat Trick?

Let’s add one more soccer term for multiple goals, just so you have them all covered.

Bonus Term: “Perfect Hat Trick”. A Perfect Hat Trick in soccer is when a player makes a goal with their head, right foot, and left foot in a single game.

What happens when you get a hat trick?

In soccer especially, there is no official prize for scoring a hat trick. It is tradition however for the player who scored the hat trick to keep the soccer ball used in that game. This is basically the reward, or memento, of their success on the pitch (or field) that day. In my opinion, this is so much better than any hat. Especially in today’s game where players are making a lot of money and can afford a new hat. The game ball will mean more to them, especially when they retire.

Check out these great moments of soccer players scoring a hat trick:

How about Hockey? Hockey is where it gets really fun for scoring a hat trick. Traditionally if a player scores a hat trick one their home ice, the home fans will toss their hats onto the ice. This is their sign of admiration of the players accomplishment. Fans are not required to throw their hats onto the ice, it’s all choice. You’d be surprised to see a lot of hats on the ice though.

The hats are then tossed out by most arenas. Some might offer fans a chance to get their hat back. Some players pick a hat from the ice as a memento.

Here is a cool video of a hockey fanbase showering the ice after a hat trick by NHL great Alex Ovechkin:

And more…tons of hats!

Who has the most hat tricks in soccer?

No surprise, but the biggest names in soccer today and throughout history are the same ones with the most hat tricks. Let’s take a look at the active player list and all-time list.

Most Hat Tricks (Active Players)

  • Cristian Ronaldo = 58
  • Cristian Ronaldo = 58
  • Luis Suarez = 30
  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic = 27
  • Robert Lewandowski = 24

Most Hat Tricks (All-Time)

  • Pele = 92
  • Cristian Ronaldo = 58
  • Cristian Ronaldo = 58
  • Luis Suarez = 30
  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic = 27

 

Who scored 7 goals in one match?

People have asked, “who scored 7 goals in one match?”. There is a list of players but to me, they aren’t worth mentioning. The list of players who scored 7 goals are bunch of names nobody has heard of. On top of that, the competition level is low. We aren’t talking about players scoring 7 goals in one match in the EPL or Champions League. Those would be much tougher feats.

The last player to score 7 goals in one soccer match at a high level was Laszlo Kubala in 1952 for FC Barcelona.  What I mean by “high level” is a professional level league of soccer or professional soccer tournament.

The me, the list below is a better list of players with the most goals at the highest level of competition. I would argue that Messi scoring 5 goals in a Champions League match is the greatest accomplishment on the entire list considering the opponent.

Most goals single match, highest level of competition

What is a hat trick in soccer conclusion

We went over all the terms for multiple goals in soccer, some also used in hockey. You also got the history of the term “hat trick” for soccer and how it originates from British Cricket. And we also reviewed a list of the players with the most hat tricks of all-time.  I think it’s safe to say you are now an expert on what the term “hat trick” means. Where it came from. Why it’s so great. And who are the best players are scoring hat tricks.

To conclude, a hat trick in soccer is a player scoring three goals in one match.