After conceding an early goal to Olympiacos, Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid stepped on the gas. The French striker took over, scoring a hat trick in the first half, as ‘Los Merengues’ headed to the tunnel with a 3-1 lead. On Bolavip, we take a look at Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s three-goal outings in the UEFA Champions League.
Just when soccer fans across the globe thought no one would ever come close to achieving what Messi and Ronaldo have, Mbappe has accustomed them to record-breaking outings on a regular basis.
Following his three-goal rampage against Olympiacos on Matchday 5 of the 2025-26 UEFA Champions League, Mbappe recorded his fifth hat trick in Europe’s biggest club competition. Moreover, it was the first time he scored three goals in the first half of a Champions League match. Now, many fans are wondering whether Messi or Ronaldo ever accomplished such a feat.
Has Messi ever scored a first-half hat trick in the UEFA Champions League?
Not only has Messi scored three goals in the opening half of a UEFA Champions League match before, but he did so in his very first career hat trick in the competition.
Cristiano Ronaldo (left), Lionel Messi (middle), and Kylian Mbappe (right)
On April 6, 2010, FC Barcelona hosted Arsenal at Camp Nou for the second leg of the 2009-10 Champions League quarterfinals. Just as Mbappe did, Messi struck three times in the first half to erase a 1-0 deficit and send Barca into the break with a 3-1 lead. To put the cherry on top, he finished the night with a fourth goal late in the final frame. It remains the only time Messi has recorded a first-half hat trick in a Champions League match.
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Has Ronaldo ever scored a first-half hat trick in the UEFA Champions League?
Although Ronaldo has scored 8 hat tricks in the Champions League—as many as Messi has—the Portuguese striker has never scored three goals in the opening 45 minutes of a game, not with Sporting Lisbon, Manchester United, Real Madrid nor Juventus.
However, Ronaldo has proven he can score in bunches, as he registers three second-half hat tricks in UEFA Champions League outings. As for Messi and Mbappe, they have only recorded a second-half hat trick once in their Champions League careers.
