For those who dont follow football muchand even for those who dosometimes keeping up with a lot of football jargon can be challenging. This is because the world of football is vast, and it comes with many complex terms. While we would like to give you a rundown on as many terms as youd like, today, our focus remains on one. Which one is it?

Well, its the term hat trick. While many of you might think that it is one of the most basic terms and that a lot of people do know about it, what you may not know is that there isnt just one type of hat trick but several different ones. Did this intrigue you? Then hop on below to read a detailed guide on why three goals are called a hat trick, its history, and its significance in the world of football.

What is Hat-Trick?

You hear the term hat-trick across a variety of sports, and football is no exception. It doesnt matter what sport is one; there are chances that the word may get thrown around at least once or twice during the game session. However, the question is, what does hat-trick mean?

The hat trick occurs when a player scores three goals in a row in that particular game. While many hear this term a lot in football, it was actually the game of cricket where this term was first used, and the hat trick was first carried out. However, over the years, footballers have also performed many hat tricks and made many games memorable.

Different Types of Hat Trick

Not a lot of people know, but the hat trick isnt just of one type. In fact, over the years, many people have started assembling hat-tricks into categories of different types. While generally just the term hat-trick is used, sometimes, the words classic or perfect are also thrown around.

These are sub-types of hat-tricks that were created or labeled over the years. In fact, many fans and commentators find themselves in great debates over these types of hat-tricks during football games. Here are some of the kinds of hat tricks which have been categorized over the years:

• Classic three goals in a single game
• Perfect goals that were hit with the right foot, left foot, and head.
• Super four goals scored during a match.
• Flawless three goals scored in one half alone, with no one else scoring in between the goals.

The Perfect is the type of hat-trick that many commentators and fans talk about during games. This is because the combination of playing with the right and left foot and also being able to hit through the heads shows a great combination of goals and the footballers skill.

Where Did the Term Hat Trick Originate From?

As we mentioned above, the term hat-trick is used in a variety of sports, including football; it was actually cricket from where its origin began. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term was first used for H.H. Stephenson who took three back-to-back wicket deliveries of the opposite team during a game played between the all-England team and the Hallam, in 1858.

The term was called hat-trick because prior to the game, people had betted on Stephensons performance, and the money for the bet was collected in the hat, which the English people used to wear a lot back in the day. Once the game was over, the money was then presented to Stephenson for his incredible performance.

When Did the First Hat-Trick in the International Football Performed?

After the word hat-trick was first used in 1858, it took twenty more years for the term to be used in football. This is because no one had managed to score three consecutive goals in football until 1878.

While many players today have netted the ball thrice in a row, the first of this kind was John McDougall, who scored three times for Scotland, ending the game 7-2 against England. Since then, many players have scored three goals in a single match for either club or international football.

Which Player Has Scored the Most Hat-Tricks in the World of Football?

Scoring a hat trick is a tough job, and some exceptional names in the football world have gone without netting three consecutive goals in a single game before their career ended. However, while many couldnt achieve this feat, some elite strikers in the 21st century have managed to make scoring a hat-trick look like a piece of cake.

One prime example is the famous football legend, Cristiano Ronaldo. The legendary Portuguese footballer has scored hat-tricks unlike anyone throughout his career, and that is flawless.

According to the game of football, the player who scores a hat-trick in a match gets to keep the match ball to themselves. Well, lets just say that Ronaldo has taken the ball home more than anyone since his debut, and in his late 30s, the man has a total of 66 hat-tricks after appearing in 1213 games.

This makes Cristiano Ronaldo the player who has scored the most hat-tricks in the world of football, followed by Lionel Messi, who has 57 hat-tricks in 1057 games he played.

Conclusion

While you may have known about the term hat-trick and what it means, we are sure you may not have given enough thought to how the term came into its origin and what the story behind it is. Well, if that is the case, we hope this article was helpful to you. Let us know if there is any other fun fact you know about it that youd like to share with us.