Scoring a hat-trick is a signature moment for any forward in football, but if it comes in Europe’s premier club competition, then the player becomes an elite. 119 different players have scored three goals in a game since the competition was rebranded in 1992, with two considered the best to ever play the sport, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, holding the most records with a stunning eight hat-tricks each. However, there is one player who is taking the haul of scoring hat-tricks to the next level in the Champions League and redefining the act of scoring three or more goals in a match. Kylian Mbappe’s talent is undeniable, but that he is destined for a generational forward is being proven day by day, with the Frenchman aged just 26.
His hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup with the French National team was memorable, but he is producing many more sublime three-goal or even four-goal hauls at the club level, especially in the Champions League. The manner of his treble on the biggest stage has been eye-catching due to his temperament, finishing ability and doing it so in a pressurised situation. Also, his hat-tricks have come in mixed stages, from less-stakes group stage games to important knockout ties, home and away, adding to his mind-blowing calibre. Mbappe has netted five hat-tricks in the competition with the last three coming in a single year, showing that he has ruthless than ever. He is just three hat-tricks away from matching the competition record and if he remains on track, it is not very long before the star born in a Paris suburb will smash it to be the absolute best in that business.
Here are all the hat-tricks Kylian Mbappe achieved on the Champions League stage:
Club Brugge 0-5 Paris Saint-Germain - 2019/20 season (Group stage)
The fact that Kylian Mbappe did not start the game in which he scored his first Champions League hat-trick reflected the incredible class he possesses. PSG were already in control and 1-0 up at half-time when the former Monaco man stepped onto the pitch, who changed a dull victory into an entertaining one. Nine minutes after being brought on, he got on the scoresheet with a header after Angel Di Maria’s cross was saved onto his path. The World Cup winner then set up Mauro Icardi to add a third for the side before going back to his scoring business. Di Maria once again became the provider, slipping in the speedster who took the ball past Simon Mignolet and converted into the empty net. The Argentinian did the same again just three minutes later with an outside-of-the-boot pass, which Mbappe greatly appreciated to finish elegantly to complete his hat-trick and clinched a 5-0 win for Paris. He became only the sixth player to score a hat-trick as a substitute in the Champions League, but this was the quickest ever in the competition's history.
Barcelona 1-4 Paris Saint-Germain - 2020-2021 season (Round of 16, 1st leg)
His second hat-trick in the competition came a season later and truly on a big occasion as they faced one of the competition’s best, Barcelona, in a Round of 16 battle. Even though the Catalan giants were in a period of struggle both on and off the pitch back then, they still had Lionel Messi and had the advantage of playing the first leg at Camp Nou, although with no fans due to the pandemic. The home side also took the lead in the tie with their Argentinian icon, dispatching his penalty. However, just when PSG were thinking they wouldn’t be able to take revenge for their 6-1 bashing in their last visit to the stadium, which created the historic remontada for Barcelona, Kylian Mbappe came to the fore to change it all around.
In the 32nd minute, the Frenchman received the ball inside the box, danced through defenders and smashed home from the near post to bring the scores level before half-time. He hit the gear in the second period, being the quickest to react to a half-cleared Alessandro Florenzi cross to give the visitors the lead this time, before completing his hat-trick in the most stylish way possible. With 3-1 up and Barcelona throwing bodies forward, PSG unleashed a lethal counter five minutes from time, which ultimately fell to Mbappe, who curled for the top bins for the final blow and settled the tie in the first leg itself. The Catalan giants could only watch as a force of nature blew them apart and soon they would see more of his devastating performances after he joined their rivals in 2024.
Real Madrid 3-1 Manchester City - 2024/25 (Knockout Playoff 2nd leg)
Mbappe joined the record Champions League winners, Real Madrid, for the next great leap of his career and here he became his best self, piling up the hat-trick records. His first for the club in the competition came in the second leg of the knockout playoff against another top side and turned into a rival in recent years, Manchester City. The two played an entertaining 2-2 draw in the first leg, so there was everything to play for in the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu. Everyone expected another tight battle to play out, but Mbappe made sure that it did not remain a contest at all. It took just four minutes for him to open the scoring with a jaw-dropping goal, latching on to a long pass by Federico Valverde and looping over a stranded Ederson off his line for a mesmerising finish.
Past the half-hour mark, the now 26-year-old was celebrating again. The star forward took a pass from teammate Rodrygo, floored Joško Gvardiol and slammed home his and the team’s second of the night. He had one last trick up his sleeve and after Ederson denied him just minutes earlier, Mbappe clinched his hat-trick on the hour mark by cutting in and slotting home with a sublime finish off his weaker left foot to the euphoria of the away support and the neutrals to be flabbergasted about. This emphatic performance eliminated City and helped Los Blancos progress to the last-16 stage, with their balling forward only adding to his immense reputation.
Kairat Almaty 0-5 Real Madrid - 2025/26 season (League Phase)
Landmark moments continued to pile up for Kylian Mbappe as he created another stardom hat-trick show in the following League Phase campaign of the Champions League. Real Madrid were coming off a heavy defeat in the Madrid derby, so they needed a win badly when they travelled to Kazakhstan to face minnows Kairat Almaty. After setting the record of scoring the most goals for Los Blancos in a single season and winning the European Golden Shoe the previous campaign, Real’s maskman took responsibility on his shoulders to score plenty again. The first goal came from the spot in the 25th minute to open the floodgates. However, it was not until the 52nd minute that the Frenchman scored again and it was spectacular. He raced onto a long pass straight from his goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, took a touch and chipped over the opposition shot-stopper for a remarkable finish. Once again, Mbappe left the finest of the strikes for the end as he slammed home from the edge of the box to complete another delightful hat-trick in an eventual 5-0 demolition of the Kazakh side. With this hat-trick, Mbappe reached 60 Champions League goals, putting him sixth in the all-time scoring list.
Olympiacos 3-4 Real Madrid - 2025/26 season (League Phase)
In the same League Phase campaign, just two games later, Kylian Mbappe would show his class again with his best performance on the Champions League stage. It came in a pressurised situation, heightening the effectiveness of the show he produced to stun everyone. Real Madrid needed to get back on track after collecting some poor results and it was thought they would turn things around easily against Greek giants Olympiacos. However, the host had other ideas as they stunned the visitors with an unexpected lead in just the eighth minute of the match. Yet, they weren’t prepared for the mayhem a certain Mbappe would cause throughout the evening. The Frenchman shrugged away the home side’s early domination within an explosive six minutes of scoring frenzy.
First, he got to the end of a terrific pass from Vinicius Junior and slotted in the equaliser in the 22nd minute. Before Olympiacos could breathe, they were hit again by their nemesis, now scoring a wonderful header from Arda Guler’s cross to put his side in front. As if it were not enough, the forward only went and completed a mind-blowing hat-trick in just six minutes and 42 seconds, making it the second fastest ever in the competition's history. But that was not the end, as Mbappe would score again when the hosts were looking to come back into the game, toepoking a Vinicius pass for his fourth. That goal became crucial as Olympiacos reduced the deficit to 4-3, but could not go further as the night belonged to Mbappe, whose brilliance could not have been described in words.
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