With high-octane, action-packed matches and a star-studded lineup of football players, the game of football has undoubtedly garnered immense attention from hardcore fans from all around the world and is currently hailed as one of the most popular and prestigious sports on a global level. Over the decades, numerous prominent football players, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé and many others, have smashed game-changing goals for their respective teams in international matches and have left the fans stunned with their roaring and reigning hat-tricks. Have you ever wondered about the top-notch football players who hold the record for smashing the highest number of hat-tricks in international matches? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four football players who have smashed the most hat-tricks in international matches.
Top 4 Football Players With Most Hat-Tricks in International Matches
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Cristiano Ronaldo – 10 Hat-Tricks
Often hailed as the “G.O.A.T” (Greatest Of All-Time) in the game of football, the legendary Portuguese professional football player Cristiano Ronaldo is at the first spot in our list of the top four sensational football players who have smashed the highest number of hat-tricks in international matches. Popularly referred to as “CR7” by billions of his hardcore fans from all around the world, Cristiano Ronaldo has won numerous individual accolades throughout his career, including five Ballon d’Or awards, a record three UEFA Men’s Player of the Year Awards and four European Golden Shoes. With a total of 133 goals, Cristiano Ronaldo continues to be the highest goalscorer in the history of international football and has smashed a spine-chilling total of ten hat-tricks in international matches as of August 2025, ranking him at the first spot in our list.
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Lionel Messi – 10 Hat-Tricks
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At the second spot in our list of the top four football players who have smashed the most hat-tricks in international matches, we have the trailblazing Argentine professional football player Lionel Messi, who is often regarded as one of the greatest football players in the world. Throughout his star-studded professional football career so far, Lionel Messi has clinched numerous accolades, including eight Ballons d’Or, six European Golden Shoes, and has also been named as the world’s best player by FIFA a record total of eight times, speaking volumes about his prominence in the game. As of August 2025, Lionel Messi has smashed a total of ten hat-tricks in international football matches, ranking him at the second spot in our list. Moreover, Argentine football stalwart Lionel Messi has scored more than 870 senior career goals and has provided more than 380 assists for club and country.
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Sven Rydell – 9 Hat-Tricks
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four football players who have smashed the most hat-tricks in international matches, we have the iconic Swedish professional football player Sven Rydell, who played as a forward for the Sweden national football team and scored a phenomenal total of 49 goals in only 43 matches that he played in the 1920s and 1930s. Throughout his glorious professional football career, the annihilating forward of the Sweden national football team Sven Rydell scored a total of nine hat-tricks in the 43 international matches that he played, which continues to be the third-highest total of hat-tricks ever scored by a footballer in international matches. Additionally, owing to his spine-chilling and match-winning performance against Denmark in 1931, Sven Rydell was awarded with the prestigious Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal in 1931.
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Ali Daei – 8 Hat-Tricks
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four football players who have smashed the most hat-tricks in international matches, we have the Iranian football manager and former professional footballer Ali Daei, who played as a striker and captained the Iranian national team between 2000 and 2006. Often hailed as one of the greatest Iranian footballers of all time as well as one of the greatest footballers from Asia, Ali Daei scored a total of 109 goals in international matches throughout his career and also registered a phenomenal total of eight hat-tricks, which continues to be the fourth-highest total of hat-tricks ever scored by a football player in international matches. After announcing his official retirement from football, Ali Daei served as a member of the FIFA Football Committee between 2007 and 2013 and was also inducted into the Asian Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
