Explaning the ‘Perfect’ Hat-Trick in Football

The football term ‘hat-trick’ refers to a trio of achievements within a certain field. It originated from the sport of cricket when H.H. Stephenson took three wickets in consecutive deliveries in a cricket match in 1858 and was gifted a hat as a memento for his accomplishment, hence the term.

The term has become common parlance for any trifecta of achievements and is used across a variety of sports, as well as in other disciplines, such as when a music artist wins three awards on the same evening at an awards ceremony.

About football, the term is used when a player scores three goals in the same game, and it is considered one of the greatest individual feats a player can achieve within a football match. Any player who completes a hat-trick in a game of football is often rewarded with the match ball to take home with them as a souvenir for their performance. However, a ‘perfect’ hat-trick is an even greater achievement in the sport of football. But what exactly is a ‘perfect’ hat-trick?

The ‘Perfect’ Hat-Trick

Right foot, left foot & header

While any hat-trick in football is rightly considered a feat worthy of celebration, there is something extra special about a player completing a ‘perfect’ hat-trick.

A ‘perfect’ hat-trick occurs when a footballer scores three goals throughout one match but with different parts of the body. This most commonly involves scoring one goal with their right foot, one with their left foot, and one header.

This remarkable achievement not only showcases the player’s ability to score goals but is also an indicator of a well-rounded, technical footballer who is comfortable scoring with both feet, as well as with their head.

‘Perfect’ Hat-Tricks in the Premier League

Since its inception in 1992, only 36 different players have accomplished the feat of scoring a ‘perfect’ hat-trick in the Premier League. The first of its kind in the Premier League was scored by Mark Robins as he helped secure a 3-2 away win for Norwich City against Oldham Athletic on the 8th of November 1992 in the competition’s inaugural campaign.

Of the 36 players to complete this unique accomplishment, only three of them have achieved it on more than one occasion. Nigerian striker Yakubu completed ‘perfect’ hat-tricks for both Blackburn Rovers and Everton, while Sergio Agüero also has two to his name, both for Manchester City and both against Newcastle United – in 2015 and 2018.

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler holds the distinction of being the only player in Premier League history to achieve the feat on three separate occasions, all during his time at the Merseyside club. Two of his hat-tricks came against Southampton in 1993 and 1999 respectively, while the other came against Arsenal in 1995.

Manchester City’s goal machine Erling Haaland, who already has eight Premier League hat-tricks to his name, completed the first ‘perfect’ hat-trick of his Premier League career during City’s 6-0 demolition of Nottingham Forest on the 31st of August 2022.

The ‘Flawless’ Hat-Trick

German term is “lupenreiner”

In Germany and Austria, football fans also use the term ‘flawless’ hat-trick, which is for when a player scores three uninterrupted goals in succession. This means that the run of three goals must be scored in the same half and cannot be interrupted by a half-time break or by an opposition or teammate player scoring in between the hat-trick scorer’s goals.

England striker Harry Kane achieved a ‘flawless’ hat-trick for Bayern Munich on the 19th of October 2024 against Stuttgart, with all three of his goals coming in the second half of their 4-0 victory. Kane scored in the 57th, 60th and 80th minutes, before Kingsley Coman netted Bayern’s fourth in the 89th minute.

In April 2024, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer achieved the rare feat of scoring a ‘perfect’ and ‘flawless’ hat-trick during his side’s 6-0 victory over Everton. Palmer’s three uninterrupted goals with his left foot in the 13th minute, his head in the 18th minute and his right foot in the 29th minute also set the record of the earliest ‘perfect’ hat-trick to be completed in Premier League history.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 21.10.24.