Erling Haaland has only played half a season in the Premier League and he’s just scored his fourth league hat-trick for his side, Manchester City. When it comes to the number of Premier League hat-tricks, that already puts the Norwegian superstar ahead of some notable scorers including Cristiano Ronaldo, Didier Drogba and Gareth Bale.
With four hat-tricks in the bag, Haaland is now level in with Fernando Torres, Carlos Teves, Les Ferdinand and Matthew Le Tissier, among others. But who is ahead of City’s new talisman when it comes to scoring three (or more) goals in Premier League games?
Who are the top hat-trick scorers in Premier League History?
As you will see from the chart below, it is a former Man City player who tops the hat-trick charts. Argentine sharpshooter Sergio Aguero bagged 12 hat-tricks in his decade in the Premier League for City between 2011 and 2021. Just behind him with 11 trebles to his name is Southampton, Blackburn and Newcastle legend, Alan Shearer. Next up we have Robbie Fowler, who just missed out on double figures after he scored nine hat-tricks in his time in the top flight (eight for Liverpool, one for Leeds United).
Looking through the players who managed to score at least four Premier League hat-tricks really is a who’s who of recent top-flight history. The likes of Thierry Henry, Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Luis Suarez were all masters of their craft. And even further down the list, you’ll find plenty of players who – at the peak of their powers – would have walked into just about any Premier League team.
A full list of players with four or more Premier League hat-tricks, including the last time the netted one, can be found in the table below.
| Player | Hat-tricks | Last hat-trick |
|---|---|---|
| Sergio Aguero | 12 | 12 January 2020 |
| Alan Shearer | 11 | 19 September 1999 |
| Robbie Fowler | 9 | 26 December 2001 |
| Thierry Henry | 8 | 7 May 2006 |
| Harry Kane | 8 | 26 December 2017 |
| Michael Owen | 8 | 17 December 2005 |
| Wayne Rooney | 7 | 29 November 2017 |
| Luis Suarez | 6 | 22 March 2014 |
| Dimitar Berbatov | 5 | 26 December 2011 |
| Andy Cole | 5 | 30 August 1999 |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy | 5 | 27 September 2003 |
| Robin van Persie | 5 | 22 April 2013 |
| Raheem Sterling | 5 | 12 February 2022 |
| Ian Wright | 5 | 13 September 1997 |
| Yakubu | 4 | 3 December 2011 |
| Kevin Campbell | 4 | 8 May 1999 |
| Jermain Defoe | 4 | 13 January 2016 |
| Les Ferdinand | 4 | 25 November 2000 |
| Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink | 4 | 16 October 2004 |
| Erling Haaland | 4 | 22 January 2023 |
| Matthew Le Tissier | 4 | 19 August 1995 |
| Mohamed Salah | 4 | 24 October 2021 |
| Teddy Sheringham | 4 | 26 August 2003 |
| Chris Sutton | 4 | 28 February 1998 |
| Carlos Tevez | 4 | 14 April 2012 |
| Fernando Torres | 4 | 29 April 2012 |
| Dwight Yorke | 4 | 25 February 2001 |
Will Erling Haaland Break Sergio Aguero’s Hat-trick Record?
Such is Haaland’s brilliance at the moment, if he remains in the Premier League and avoids any serious injuries, we think it is only a matter of time before he surpasses Aguero’s hat-trick record. We also fully expect the Norwegian to break all kinds of other records too in what should prove to be a glittering career in the English top flight. The Leeds-born striker currently has a five-year contract with City and even if he only stays for the duration of that deal, he should have more than enough to surpass Aguero.
Many of the players who are ahead (at the time of writing at least!) of Haaland have retired from the game and hence won’t improve on their numbers. But it should be noted that there are one or two players still going strong who might challenge Aguero’s place at the top of the hat-trick tables (albeit temporarily until Haaland almost inevitably surpasses them too!). England and Tottenham star Harry Kane is clearly best placed as he’s scored eight hat-tricks thus far and is playing some of the best football of his career. There’ll always be the question of whether Kane might have bagged more hat-tricks (and goals in general) had he moved to a bigger, better club, but perhaps that ship has sailed now. In addition, he does seem to be playing slightly deeper as he approaches the autumn of his career, although this has done little to stop his flow of goals.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (with four hat-tricks) and Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling (with five) are the other two players who could have an outside (and we do mean outside chance of at least making double figures if they stay fit and their respective clubs rediscover some form. However, realistically, we suspect the chances are that it will be Aguero, or possibly Kane, that Haaland has to hunt down as the PL’s top hat-trick hero.
Premier League Hat-trick Stats
In case you fancy impressing your mates down the pub or you just happen to be particularly interested in hat-trick-related stats, here are the numbers you need to know.
- First Premier League Hat-trick – The first Premier League hat-trick was scored by Eric Cantona for Leeds United against Tottenham on 25th August 1992, just 10 days into the inaugural Premier League season
- Most Hat-tricks in a Season – By the time the 2022/23 is finished, Haaland might have smashed it, but at the time of writing Alan Shearer holds the record for the most hat-tricks in a Premier League season: he scored five for Blackburn Rovers in the 1995/96 season (and Rovers still only finished seventh!). Harry Kane scored four hat-tricks for Spurs in the 2016/17 season
- Fastest Premier League Hat-trick – The fastest hat-trick scored in the Premier League to date took just two minutes and 56 seconds as Sadio Mane struck thrice for Southampton in their 6-1 drubbing of Aston Villa on 16 May 2016. Even Haaland could struggle to match that one!
- Double Hat-tricks – At the time of writing, no one has ever scored a double hat-trick, in other words six goals, in a Premier League match. Five players have bagged five goals in a single game though: Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, Jermain Defoe, Dimitar Berbatov, and Sergio Aguero. This is certainly a record Haaland could match or better before too long
- Perfect Hat-tricks – A perfect hat-trick is conventionally so-called if a player scores one goal with his left foot, one with his right, and one with his head. Haaland has managed this feat already, but the only player to score three perfect hat-tricks in the Premier League was Robbie Fowler, one of the truly great natural finishers. Sergio Aguero and Yakubu managed it twice apiece
- Headed Hat-trick – Here’s one Haaland hasn’t bagged yet: scoring three goals in a single Premier League game using only his head. This has happened twice in the Premier League, once when Duncan Ferguson achieved it for Everton, and then when Salomon Rondon did likewise for West Bromwich Albion
- Most Hat-tricks Against One Club – Norwich City defenders were never too happy when they faced Luis Suarez and not (only) because they feared they’d get bitten. Suarez is the only player to score a hat-trick in three matches against the same team: Norwich. In fact, the Uruguayan ace bagged 12 goals in just six games against the Norfolk side, notching four against them in a 5-1 win in December of 2013