Lionel Messi holds the record for the most hat-tricks in Laliga history with 36, all scored for Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo is second with 34 for Real Madrid, while legendary Athletic Club striker Telmo Zarra is third with 23.
This all-time Laliga hat-trick ranking covers the competition’s leading hat-trick scorers and the major records behind them, including the most hat-tricks in a single season, the fastest Laliga hat-trick, and the youngest and oldest players to score three goals in a league match.
Updated September 3, 2026: Historical totals and record milestones were reviewed against established Laliga record databases. Only league hat-tricks are counted here; Copa del Rey, Champions League, international and other competition hat-tricks are excluded.
Who Has the Most Hat-Tricks in Laliga History?
Lionel Messi has scored the most hat-tricks in Laliga history with 36. The Argentine set the record during his Barcelona career and remains two ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 34 league hat-tricks for Real Madrid.
No other player has reached 30. Telmo Zarra is the closest of the historic generation with 23, followed by Alfredo Di Stéfano with 22 and Valencia great Mundo with 19.
| Rank | Player | Laliga Hat-Tricks | Club Most Associated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 36 | Barcelona |
| 2 | Cristiano Ronaldo | 34 | Real Madrid |
| 3 | Telmo Zarra | 23 | Athletic Club |
| 4 | Alfredo Di Stéfano | 22 | Real Madrid |
| 5 | Mundo | 19 | Valencia |
| 6 | César Rodríguez | 15 | Barcelona |
| 7 | Isidro Lángara | 13 | Real Oviedo |
| 8 | Ferenc Puskás | 12 | Real Madrid |
| 9= | Pahiño | 11 | Real Madrid / Celta Vigo |
| 9= | Manuel Badenes | 11 | Valencia |
| 9= | László Kubala | 11 | Barcelona |
| 12= | Quini | 10 | Sporting Gijón / Barcelona |
| 12= | Luis Suárez | 10 | Barcelona |
Ranking note: This table includes every player in the established all-time record set with at least 10 Laliga hat-tricks. Tied players share the same ranking position.
1. Lionel Messi — 36 Laliga Hat-Tricks
Lionel Messi sits at the top of the Laliga hat-trick ranking with 36 league hat-tricks for Barcelona. His total is part of a wider scoring record that also made him Laliga’s all-time leading goalscorer.
Messi’s ability to score in clusters was especially visible during his peak years. He also shares the record for the most Laliga hat-tricks in a single season, scoring eight in 2011/12.
His combination of longevity, elite finishing and an extraordinary volume of league goals allowed him to move beyond the historic marks set by Zarra and Di Stéfano.
For the complete scoring leaderboard, see our Laliga all-time top scorers ranking.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo — 34 Laliga Hat-Tricks
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 34 Laliga hat-tricks for Real Madrid, putting him second on the all-time list and only two behind Messi.
What makes Ronaldo’s total particularly remarkable is the speed at which he accumulated it. He played in Spain from 2009 to 2018 and became one of the most prolific scorers the league has ever seen.
Ronaldo also shares the single-season hat-trick record. He scored eight league hat-tricks in 2014/15, matching Messi’s mark from 2011/12.
3. Telmo Zarra — 23 Laliga Hat-Tricks
Before Messi and Ronaldo rewrote Laliga’s modern scoring records, Telmo Zarra was one of the competition’s great benchmarks. The Athletic Club legend recorded 23 hat-tricks in league play.
Zarra’s place near the top of this list reflects the extraordinary consistency that also made him Laliga’s long-standing all-time goals record holder before Messi eventually surpassed him.
4. Alfredo Di Stéfano — 22 Laliga Hat-Tricks
Alfredo Di Stéfano scored 22 Laliga hat-tricks and played a defining role in Real Madrid’s rise during the 1950s and 1960s. His league scoring record remains one of the strongest from that era.
Di Stéfano finished just one hat-trick behind Zarra and remains one of only four players in Laliga history to reach at least 20.
Most Laliga Hat-Tricks in a Single Season
The record for the most hat-tricks in one Laliga season is eight, shared by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
| Player | Season | Hat-Tricks | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lionel Messi | 2011/12 | 8 | Barcelona |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | 2014/15 | 8 | Real Madrid |
Messi’s 2011/12 campaign was also the season in which he set the Laliga single-season goals record with 50. Ronaldo’s 2014/15 season was similarly prolific, with his eight hat-tricks helping underline one of the greatest individual scoring campaigns in the competition’s modern era.
Fastest Hat-Trick in Laliga History
Alexander Sørloth holds the record for the fastest hat-trick in Laliga history at 3 minutes and 57 seconds. He achieved it for Atlético Madrid against Real Sociedad on May 10, 2025.
The record replaced older marks that had stood for decades and shows how quickly a match can change when a striker catches fire.
Youngest Player to Score a Laliga Hat-Trick
The youngest player to score a hat-trick in Laliga is José Iraragorri, who was 17 years and 337 days old when he scored three for Athletic Club against Real Sociedad on February 16, 1930.
That record has survived for generations. In the modern era, young stars have come close, but Iraragorri’s mark remains the all-time benchmark.
Oldest Player to Score a Laliga Hat-Trick
Jorge Molina is the oldest player to score a Laliga hat-trick. He was 39 years and 241 days old when he scored three goals for Granada against Mallorca on December 19, 2021.
Granada won the match 4-1, and Molina’s performance became one of the most unusual age-related scoring records in Spanish top-flight history.
Messi vs Ronaldo: Laliga Hat-Trick Comparison
The Messi-Ronaldo rivalry dominates the top of the Laliga hat-trick list just as it dominates many of the league’s modern scoring records.
| Record | Lionel Messi | Cristiano Ronaldo |
|---|---|---|
| Career Laliga hat-tricks | 36 | 34 |
| Best single-season total | 8 (2011/12) | 8 (2014/15) |
| Laliga club | Barcelona | Real Madrid |
| All-time hat-trick rank | 1st | 2nd |
Messi leads the career league count by two, while the pair share the single-season record. Their totals are far ahead of every other player from the modern era.
Laliga Hat-Trick Records at a Glance
- Most career hat-tricks: Lionel Messi — 36.
- Second-most career hat-tricks: Cristiano Ronaldo — 34.
- Most by a historic Spanish striker: Telmo Zarra — 23.
- Most in one season: 8 — Lionel Messi (2011/12) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2014/15).
- Fastest hat-trick: Alexander Sørloth — 3 minutes 57 seconds, 2025.
- Youngest hat-trick scorer: José Iraragorri — 17 years, 337 days.
- Oldest hat-trick scorer: Jorge Molina — 39 years, 241 days.
- Only players with 30+ Laliga hat-tricks: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Why Hat-Trick Records Matter
A hat-trick is one of football’s clearest measures of match-winning scoring dominance. Career goal totals reward consistency over hundreds of games, but hat-trick records show how often a player was able to take over a single league match with three or more goals.
That is why the top of this list contains many of the same names found among Laliga’s greatest scorers: Messi, Ronaldo, Zarra, Di Stéfano and Puskás. Their positions connect different eras of Spanish football and give another way to compare the league’s elite forwards.
You can explore those careers further in our Laliga all-time top scorers article and our ranking of the best players in Laliga in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lionel Messi holds the record with 36 Laliga hat-tricks, all scored for Barcelona.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 34 Laliga hat-tricks for Real Madrid, the second-highest total in competition history.
Telmo Zarra is third with 23 Laliga hat-tricks for Athletic Club.
The record is eight. Lionel Messi scored eight in 2011/12 and Cristiano Ronaldo matched the total in 2014/15.
Alexander Sørloth scored the fastest Laliga hat-trick in 3 minutes and 57 seconds for Atlético Madrid against Real Sociedad on May 10, 2025.
José Iraragorri holds the all-time record. He was 17 years and 337 days old when he scored a hat-trick for Athletic Club against Real Sociedad in 1930.
Jorge Molina was 39 years and 241 days old when he scored three goals for Granada against Mallorca in December 2021.
Yes. Messi scored 36 Laliga hat-tricks and Ronaldo scored 34, giving Messi a two-hat-trick lead in the all-time league ranking.
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Data note: Historical hat-trick totals were checked against established full-history Laliga record listings. Some modern statistics databases cover only part of the competition’s history and can therefore show different totals. This page uses the full historical league record.
