Before Mbappé: 13 players scored a hat-trick against Barça since 1992
"The biggest footballers write their history in the biggest games," Paris Saint-Germain head coach Mauricio Pochettino said (cited by Spox) after his club's 4-1 win over Barcelona in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Pochettino was speaking about superstar Kylian Mbappé, the 22-year-old sunk Barça on his own with his hattrick. Since the Champions League's foundation in 1992, only 14 players have managed to score a hattrick against Barça—across all competitions.
It has been almost 25 years since any player managed to score a hattrick in the Champions League against Barcelona. On Nov. 5, 1997, a 21-year-old Andriy Shevchenko scored three goals for Dynamo Kyiv in their 4-0 victory over the Catalans. Just two months prior, the Colombian Faustino Asprilla managed a hattrick as well. Asprilla scored a hattrick in Newcastle United's 3-2 win over Barça on Sep. 17, 1997.
Polster to Mbappé: Players who scored a hat-trick against Barça
The first player on the list is Toni Polster. The former Austrian national team player managed to score a hattrick for Rayo Vallecano in the 1992/93 season. The LaLiga side managed a 3-3 draw against Barça in December 1992. Polster was the first since 1992, the last player to do it before Mbappé was Emmanuel Boateng. On May 13, 2018, the Ghanaese national team player scored three goals in UD Levante's 5-4 victory over Barcelona.
- Date of Birth/Age:
- 20.12.1998 (24)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Contract until:
- Jun 30, 2024
- Position:
- Centre-Forward
- Market Value:
- €180.00m
- Date of Birth/Age:
- 10.03.1964 (59)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- Retired
- Contract until:
- -
- Position:
- Centre-Forward
- Market Value:
- -
- Date of Birth/Age:
- 29.09.1976 (46)
- Nat.:
- Current club:
- Retired
- Contract until:
- -
- Position:
- Centre-Forward
- Market Value:
- -