The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League season has officially kicked off, and across Europe, the best footballers are gearing up to make their mark on the competition.
For many, the tournament is the pinnacle of club football, a stage where legacies are written and reputations are solidified.
Over the years, it has become the yardstick by which a player’s season is judged, and very often, the player who shines brightest in the Champions League ends up in contention for football’s most prestigious individual honors.
It is no coincidence that many Ballon d’Or winners in recent times have come from the clubs that dominate this competition.
Real Madrid, for example, believed strongly that Vinicius Jr or one of their stars deserved the award last year, but Manchester City’s Rodrigo Hernández ultimately lifted the golden ball after his influential role in guiding Pep Guardiola’s side to success.
As this season gets underway, the defending champions and perennial contenders, Manchester City, once again look like one of the strongest teams in Europe.
With Pep Guardiola still at the helm and a squad filled with world-class talent, City will be among the favorites to go deep into the tournament. Also, central to their hopes is one man: Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian striker is no stranger to the Champions League spotlight. Since bursting onto the scene as a teenager, Haaland has consistently delivered goals on Europe’s biggest stage.
His reputation as one of the most fearsome forwards in world football has been built not just on domestic dominance but also on his ability to score freely in the Champions League.
Indeed, Erling Haaland‘s hat-tricks record in the UEFA Champions League stands as proof of his remarkable consistency and his knack for producing unforgettable nights.
Erling Haaland’s hat-tricks and unforgettable Champions League performances
While many strikers dream of scoring just once in the Champions League, Haaland has managed to produce multiple hat-tricks, a feat that places him in elite company despite his relatively young age.
On several occasions, he has produced displays that left fans and opponents in awe.
One of the most iconic nights came during the Round of 16 in March 2023, when Manchester City demolished RB Leipzig 7-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
Haaland stole the headlines, scoring five goals in a single match. The Norwegian was simply unstoppable, blending power, precision, and ruthless finishing that the Bundesliga side could not contain.
The game was historic for several reasons. In the first 45 minutes alone, Haaland recorded his first Champions League hat-trick for Manchester City, ensuring that City were firmly in control by halftime.
But he was not done. In the second half, he added two more goals to complete a five-goal haul, a performance that cemented his place in Champions League history books.
Pep Guardiola famously substituted him in the 63rd minute, denying him the chance to surpass Lionel Messi’s record of scoring five in a knockout tie and setting a new benchmark.
Even so, people hailed Haaland’s display as one of the finest individual performances in the modern era.
That game, however, was not his first time producing a hat-trick in the Champions League.
Back in September 2019, while playing for Red Bull Salzburg, Haaland announced himself to Europe with a blistering start against Belgian side Genk.
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In his Champions League debut, the then-19-year-old scored all three goals in the first half, finding the net in the 2nd, 34th, and 45th minutes. Salzburg won 6-2, and Haaland’s name was suddenly on everyone’s lips.
What made that night remarkable was not just the hat-trick itself but the composure and maturity he showed at such a young age.
His ability to exploit space, time his runs, and finish clinically against a European opponent signaled the arrival of a new superstar.
It also marked the beginning of Erling Haaland’s hat-tricks record in the UEFA Champions League, a record he has continued to build upon with different clubs in different leagues.
The significance of Haaland’s hat-trick record in Europe
Since making his debut in 2019, Haaland has gone on to score two hat-tricks in the competition, establishing himself as one of the most prolific players of his generation.
To put his achievements in perspective, few players in the competition’s long history have scored multiple hat-tricks at such a young age.
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As of now, Erling Haaland’s hat-tricks record in the UEFA Champions League stands is two, but he has scored 49 goals in 48 games in the competition.
He scored 8 goals for Salzburg in 6 appearances. Found the back of the net 15 times for Borussia Dortmund in 13 games and recorded 26 goals for Manchester City after making 29 appearances for the club.
He scored 34 of the goals with his left-foot, scored 11 with the right-foot and the remaining 4 with him head.
