What is a hat-trick in football? Brace and perfect hat-trick
A hat-trick in football is three goals scored by one player in the same match. A brace is two goals. A perfect hat-trick includes a left-footed goal, a right-footed goal and a header, in any order.
Which goals count towards a hat-trick?
Blue 9's goal tally
Fictional match extracts. Follow Blue 9's tally through the listed events.
Read all 13 examples as textCurrent answer: A perfect hat-trick
Through event 4 of 4, Blue 9 has 3 settled goals: a hat-trick. Left foot, right foot and header are all recorded: a perfect hat-trick is complete.
Three goals for Blue 9: right foot, left foot and head. The opponent's goal and half-time do not break the hat-trick.
Why each event counts or does not count
- 18'Goal for Blue 9: right foot
Blue 9 scores with the right foot.
Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 34'Another scorer
Gold 7 scores for the opposition.
Not counted for Blue 9: this goal belongs to another player.
- 52'Goal for Blue 9: left foot
Blue 9 scores with the left foot.
Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 76'Goal for Blue 9: header
Blue 9 heads in the third goal.
Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- Left footRecorded goal
- Right footRecorded goal
- HeaderRecorded goal
All 13 match examples: goals, decisions and answers
- A perfect hat-trick
Through event 4 of 4, Blue 9 has 3 settled goals: a hat-trick. Left foot, right foot and header are all recorded: a perfect hat-trick is complete.
- 18' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 34' Gold 7 scores for the opposition. Not counted for Blue 9: this goal belongs to another player.
- 52' Blue 9 scores with the left foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 76' Blue 9 heads in the third goal. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
Three goals for Blue 9: right foot, left foot and head. The opponent's goal and half-time do not break the hat-trick.
- Two goals: a brace
Through event 2 of 2, Blue 9 has 2 settled goals: a brace. A perfect hat-trick is not complete at this point.
- 18' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 52' Blue 9 scores with the left foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
Blue 9 has two goals in one match: a brace. Three would be needed for a hat-trick.
- Three with one foot
Through event 3 of 3, Blue 9 has 3 settled goals: a hat-trick. A perfect hat-trick is not complete at this point.
- 12' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 41' Blue 9 scores again with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 70' Blue 9 completes a right-footed treble. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
Three goals complete a hat-trick. It is not perfect: the three finishes do not include a left-footed goal and a header.
- Three penalties
Through event 3 of 3, Blue 9 has 3 settled goals: a hat-trick. A perfect hat-trick is not complete at this point.
- 21' Blue 9 converts a right-footed penalty during the match. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 55' Blue 9 converts another right-footed penalty during the match. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 89' Blue 9 scores a third right-footed penalty during the match. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
All three are awarded goals during the match, so this is a hat-trick. Open-play goals are not required.
- A shoot-out kick
Through event 3 of 3, Blue 9 has 2 settled goals: a brace. A perfect hat-trick is not complete at this point.
- 18' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 52' Blue 9 scores with the left foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- Shoot-out After the match ends level, Blue 9 converts a shoot-out kick. Not counted: a shoot-out kick is separate from match goals.
Blue 9 still has two match goals. A successful shoot-out kick belongs to the tie-break, not the player's match-goal total.
- Goal in extra time
Through event 3 of 3, Blue 9 has 3 settled goals: a hat-trick. Left foot, right foot and header are all recorded: a perfect hat-trick is complete.
- 18' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 52' Blue 9 scores with the left foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 112' In a cup match with extra time, Blue 9 heads in a third goal. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
Extra time is part of this cup match. Blue 9 reaches three goals, including one with each foot and the head. Premier League matches do not use extra time.
- Goal at 90+4
Through event 3 of 3, Blue 9 has 3 settled goals: a hat-trick. A perfect hat-trick is not complete at this point.
- 18' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 52' Blue 9 scores with the left foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 90+4' Blue 9 scores with the right foot in second-half added time. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
Added time belongs to the same match. The third goal completes a hat-trick, but not a perfect one.
- An opponent's own goal
Through event 3 of 3, Blue 9 has 2 settled goals: a brace. A perfect hat-trick is not complete at this point.
- 18' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 52' Blue 9 scores with the left foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 76' Blue 9 crosses; Gold 4 turns it into their own net. The record awards an own goal to Gold 4. Not counted for Blue 9: the goal is credited as Gold 4's own goal.
Blue's team gains a goal, but Blue 9 does not. The own-goal attribution leaves Blue 9 on a brace.
- Third goal ruled out
Through event 3 of 3, Blue 9 has 2 settled goals: a brace. A perfect hat-trick is not complete at this point.
- 18' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 52' Blue 9 scores with the left foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 76' Blue 9 puts the ball in the net, but the goal is disallowed for offside. Not counted: the effort was ruled out, so no goal was awarded.
The disallowed effort adds no goal. Blue 9 stays on two, not a hat-trick.
- Third goal under review
Through event 3 of 3, Blue 9 has 2 settled goals: a brace. This is not a final total: an unresolved event could add another goal. A perfect hat-trick is not established from the settled finishing details.
- 18' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 52' Blue 9 scores with the left foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 76' Blue 9's apparent third goal is under review; the decision is not settled. Pending: not added to the settled tally while the goal decision is under review.
Two goals are settled, with one goal decision pending. A third goal must not be presented as confirmed yet.
- Scorer not settled
Through event 3 of 3, Blue 9 has 2 settled goals: a brace. This is not a final total: an unresolved event could add another goal. A perfect hat-trick is not established from the settled finishing details.
- 18' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 52' Blue 9 scores with the left foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 76' Blue's team is awarded a goal, but the record has not settled Blue 9 versus a defender's own goal. Unresolved: the team goal stands, but Blue 9's credit is not established.
The team goal stands, but Blue 9's individual total is unresolved. Unknown attribution is not a confirmed no-goal decision.
- Finishing detail missing
Through event 3 of 3, Blue 9 has 3 settled goals: a hat-trick. A perfect hat-trick is not established from the settled finishing details.
- 18' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 52' Blue 9 scores with the left foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 76' A third goal is credited to Blue 9; the body part is not recorded. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
The hat-trick is established. A perfect hat-trick is not established because the third finish is unknown, not because it is known to be wrong.
- A fourth goal
Through event 4 of 4, Blue 9 has 4 settled goals, having already completed a hat-trick. Left foot, right foot and header are all recorded: a perfect hat-trick is complete.
- 18' Blue 9 scores with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 52' Blue 9 scores with the left foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 76' Blue 9 heads in a third goal. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
- 84' Blue 9 scores a fourth goal with the right foot. Counted: +1 awarded match goal credited to Blue 9.
Blue 9 completed a perfect hat-trick and then scored again. The match total is four goals; do not reduce it to three.
Each example is a separate fictional match extract, not a full team scorecard. Minute labels are not exact timings. Goal decisions and scorer credit are supplied; the examples do not judge real footage. The complete text versions work without the controls.
Follow Blue 9 through thirteen separate fictional matches. The counter shows only the settled goals credited to that player through the selected event. Each event says why it adds a goal, adds nothing, or remains unresolved. Step through the events to see a brace become a hat-trick, then compare penalties, own goals and reviews.
The sequence is a teaching extract, not a complete team scorecard. Its minute labels locate events within a match; they are not exact timings for a fastest-hat-trick calculation. A goal awaiting a decision and a goal with an unresolved scorer are left pending, rather than treated as a confirmed third goal or a final total of two.
What is a brace, and when does it become a hat-trick?
A brace means one player has scored twice in a match. A third credited goal completes a hat-trick, also called a treble. If three teammates score once each in a 3-0 win, each has one goal; none has a hat-trick. Two goals in one fixture and a third in the next cannot be combined into one.
In the usual English football meaning, the three goals need not be consecutive or scored in the same half. A teammate or opponent can score between them. A substitute can score a hat-trick, and a scorer can achieve one even if their team draws or loses.
A fourth goal does not cancel the hat-trick, but the full match total is four. Cole Palmer demonstrated this against Everton on 15 April 2024: he completed a perfect hat-trick and then added a penalty. The milestone and the final total describe different parts of the same performance.
Perfect hat-trick, consecutive goals and the German meaning
A perfect hat-trick requires a goal with each foot and a header in the same match. Their order does not matter. Three right-footed goals or three headers are still a hat-trick, but do not meet this finishing requirement. Here, perfect describes the combination of body parts, not the beauty or difficulty of the goals.
Palmer scored left foot, header, then right foot against Everton in April 2024. A penalty taken during the match can also supply one of the footed goals: a perfect hat-trick does not require three goals from open play.
You may see a different usage in German football: a lupenreiner Hattrick means three goals in one half without another player scoring between them. Some English reports call that a German or perfect hat-trick. It describes the sequence, whereas the left-foot, right-foot and header definition describes the finishes. An ordinary English-language hat-trick requires neither an uninterrupted sequence nor one half.
Check what a report means by consecutive: it may describe uninterrupted goals within a game, or hat-tricks in successive matches. Neither phrase alone proves a perfect hat-trick. If a player has three credited goals but one finish is unrecorded, the hat-trick can be confirmed while the perfect-hat-trick claim remains unproven.
Do penalties, added time and extra time count?
Yes: an awarded goal from a penalty during the match counts for its scorer. Three such penalties can make a hat-trick. Justin Kluivert did exactly that for Bournemouth against Wolves on 30 November 2024. A converted kick in a penalty shoot-out is a different kind of record.
Goals in added time, such as 90+4, count within the same match. Goals in extra time also count when the competition uses that additional period. Premier League matches do not have extra time; cup and knockout matches may. Extra time and a penalty shoot-out must not be merged into one category.
IFAB Law 10 says a penalty shoot-out takes place after the match has ended. Two match goals plus a successful shoot-out kick therefore leave a player with a brace. Keep the shoot-out score separate from both the match score and the individual match-goal total.
Kylian Mbappe scored three times for France in the 2022 World Cup final, including a penalty in extra time, then converted a shoot-out kick. His match achievement was a hat-trick. France still lost the shoot-out, showing why an individual scoring milestone does not guarantee a team win.
What about own goals, deflections and disallowed goals?
An own goal adds to the opposing team's score but does not become a scoring goal for one of its attackers. If Blue 9 has two goals and a later cross is recorded as Gold 4's own goal, Blue 9 remains on a brace. Causing an opponent to concede is not the same as being credited with the goal.
The final touch alone does not settle the scorer. A deflected shot may still be credited to the attacker, while an own goal is recorded against the defending player. Use the competition's settled attribution and the named statistics provider's definitions. Opta distinguishes goals from own goals and explains how it handles disputed credit.
A disallowed effort adds nothing to the player's tally. During an unresolved goal review, keep the apparent third goal provisional; after a decision rules it out, it cannot complete a hat-trick. VAR can assist with goal/no-goal decisions, but that is a different question from which player receives statistical credit.
A goal can stand while its scorer remains unresolved. Report the confirmed team goal and the uncertainty over the player separately. A later correction from an attacker's goal to an own goal can change an individual milestone without changing the team score.
How is the fastest hat-trick timed?
The fastest hat-trick usually measures the interval between a player's first and third goals. The earliest completed hat-trick measures the match clock when the third goal arrives. A player can finish a hat-trick early without having the shortest interval between the three goals.
The Premier League records page, checked on 24 October 2026, lists Sadio Mane's Southampton hat-trick against Aston Villa on 16 May 2015 at two minutes and 56 seconds. That is the Premier League record; it is not a claim about every competition or level of football.
Goal labels such as 18, 19 and 21 minutes do not give the seconds needed to calculate a record. Nor is 45+2 a decimal time. Use the competition's timed record, especially if the goals span added time or half-time. The fictional examples above deliberately do not calculate an exact interval.
How to check a player's goals in a real match
Open the correct fixture, then count the goals credited to the player. Check whether each is a match goal or shoot-out kick, whether any effort was disallowed, and whether the scorer was later corrected. To establish a perfect hat-trick, also check the recorded body part for each goal.
On Match XI, start with a completed Premier League fixture in Results and inspect the recorded events and linked player profiles where available. A 3-1 score alone proves no individual hat-trick. Missing event or finishing detail means that page cannot establish the claim; it does not prove zero goals or rule out a perfect hat-trick.
To follow the player into the next fixture, open the team's lineup page. A hat-trick records what happened in one match. It does not guarantee the next start: a predicted XI and an official team sheet answer different questions.