TL;DR
- Mohamed Salah holds the record for the quickest hat-trick in Champions League history, scoring three goals in 6 minutes and 12 seconds.
- Robert Lewandowski set the record for the fastest hat-trick from the start of a Champions League match, achieving it in 23 minutes.
- Kylian Mbappe nearly achieved both records simultaneously, ranking high on both fastest hat-trick metrics in a single game.
- The article summarizes the fastest goals and hat-tricks in Champions League history, highlighting Salah and Lewandowski's achievements.
On the biggest stage of them all, the most electric players shine bright.
Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski stand out as premier strikers in European football currently, with both having etched their names in UEFA Champions League history.
Salah holds the record for the quickest hat-trick in terms of time elapsed between goals, whereas Lewandowski holds the record for the fastest treble from the commencement of a European match.
The renowned Kylian Mbappe nearly achieved both records simultaneously, positioning himself high on both rankings in a single decisive action.
AllSportsPeople presents a summary of the fastest goals ever scored in the Champions League, covering both those scored immediately after kickoff and those scored between subsequent goals.
MORE: Champions League goalscoring records for career and single season
Quickest hat-trick ever in Champions League history
Mohamed Salah holds the record for the fastest hat-trick in Champions League history, measured by the time elapsed between his first and last goal.
Kylian Mbappe, a standout player for Real Madrid, nearly scored a hat-trick against Olympiacos in November 2025. When Los Blancos were trailing by one goal, Mbappe netted three times in rapid fashion, swiftly giving the Spanish club a significant lead.
Statistics as of November 26, 2025.
| Rank | Player | Date | Match | Time | 1st goal | 3rd goal |
| 1st | Mohamed Salah | Oct. 12, 2022 | Liverpool 7-1 Rangers | 6 mins, 12 sec | 75' | 81' |
| 2nd | Kylian Mbappe | Nov. 26, 2025 | Olympiacos 3-4 Real Madrid* | 6 mins, 42 sec | 22' | 29' |
| 3rd | Bafetimbi Gomis | Dec. 7, 2011 | Dinamo Zagreb 1-7 Lyon* | 8 mins, 45 sec | 45' | 52' |
| 4th | Mike Newell | Dec. 6, 1995 | Blackburn 4-1 Rosenborg | 9 mins, 17 sec | 31' | 40' |
| 5th | Robert Lewandowski | Mar. 8, 2022 | Bayern Munich 7-1 RB Salzburg | 10 min, 22 sec | 12' | 23' |
For this metric, a player's initial three goals within a single game are considered. While both Mbappe and Gomis achieved four goals in their respective matches, the timing is calculated solely from their first to third goals, irrespective of when any additional goals were netted.
Salah's hat-trick is now the quickest in Champions League history.
Mohamed Salah secured his place in the record books with the fastest hat trick from the first goal to the third goal, as Liverpool provided a masterclass at Ibrox against Rangers.
Mo Salah achieved a hat-trick in a mere six minutes and 12 seconds from his initial goal to his third, marking the fastest in UEFA Champions League history. Truly remarkable. Pic.twitter.com/cuZ2YquoiF
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 12, 2022
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The hat-trick, achieved with a mere six minutes and 12 seconds separating the initial and final goals, stands as the fastest in the competition's annals, surpassing Bafetimbi Gomis's eight-minute feat for Lyon against Dinamo Zagreb back in 2011.
MORE: Full recap as Liverpool thrashes Rangers at Ibrox in Champions League behind Salah trio
Substituted for Darwin Nunez, who had scored earlier, in the 68th minute, Salah quickly made an impact, scoring his first goal just eight minutes after coming onto the field, in the 76th minute. He then added a second goal in the 80th minute and completed his hat-trick in the 81st minute.
Notably, Diogo Jota, who entered the game as a substitute in the 73rd minute, played a role in all three goals during Liverpool's dominant second-half performance that resulted in a 7-1 victory.
Diogo Jota provided the assists for all three of Mo Salah's goals for Liverpool this evening, marking the first instance of a player assisting a teammate's hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League since March 2012, when Franck Ribéry set up three Mario Gomez goals for Bayern against Basel. Wavelength. Pic.twitter.com/Ak0vMlPHVU
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 12, 2022
This hat-trick is among only six such instances in the competition's history achieved by a substitute, placing him in the company of Uwe Rosler, Joseba Llorente, Walter Pandiani, Kylian Mbappe, and Marcus Rashford.
Fastest hat-trick from the start of a Champions League match ever
During the 2021/22 season with Bayern Munich, Lewandowski netted three goals within the initial 23 minutes of a knockout-stage fixture against RB Salzburg, achieving the quickest hat trick recorded by any player in the competition from the game's commencement.
He surpassed the prior record established by AC Milan's Marco Simone, who required until the 24th minute to achieve his hat trick during a 1996 game versus Norwegian club Rosenborg.
Kylian Mbappé's hat-trick versus Olympiacos during the 2025/26 league stage secured him the third spot in this particular statistic, in addition to earning him the second position on the preceding ranking.
Statistics as of November 26, 2025.
| Rank | Player | Date | Match | Time of 3rd goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Robert Lewandowski | Mar. 8, 2022 | Bayern Munich 7-1 RB Salzburg | 23rd min |
| 2. | Marco Simone | Sept. 24, 1996 | Rosenborg 1-4 AC Milan | 24th min |
| 3. | Kylian Mbappe | Nov. 26, 2025 | Olympiacos 3-4 Real Madrid | 29th min |
| 4. | Claudio Pizarro | Nov. 7, 2012 | Bayern Munich 6-1 Lille | 33rd min |
| = | Rui Pedro | Nov. 20, 2012 | CFR Cluj 3-1 Braga | 33rd min |
Lewandowski scored the quickest hat-trick in Champions League history.
Although Salah's achievement marks the fastest hat-trick within one game period, Lewandowski is the record holder for the quickest hat-trick from the match's commencement, achieving this in 23 minutes for Bayern Munich in March 2022.
Bayern Munich, having only managed a 1-1 tie with RB Salzburg in the initial match of their 2021/22 Champions League Round of 16 series in Austria, required a strong showing at home to advance to the tournament's quarterfinals.
The Polish superstar provided the goods at Allianz Arena.
Robert Lewandowski netted a hat-trick in just 23 minutes against FC RB Salzburg this evening, marking the quickest treble from the start of a match in UEFA Champions League history. He surpassed Marco Simone's record for Milan v Rosenborg, which took place in 1996 (24 minutes. Impressive. Pic.twitter.com/aVNNmGdgVV
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 8, 2022
Lewandowski put his team ahead in the 12th minute, converting a penalty he earned. The referee awarded the spot-kick after Maximilian Wober fouled him as he tried to take a shot, making it a straightforward decision.
Lewandowski's subsequent penalty kick deceived goalkeeper Philipp Kohn, who went the wrong way, as he scored emphatically to reach his 40th goal for Bayern this season in all competitions.
The second objective was deja-vu, as Wober once more fouled Lewandowski, leading to a second penalty, which the Polish striker converted again.
To complete his hat trick, Lewandowski got one from open play, a weird and ugly goal from a horrific bit of defending by the Austrian opponents, who were done in by their own high line. Lewandowski clipped the ball over a challenge by right back Rasmus Kristensen, and was eventually fed through by teammate Thomas Muller to leave the Polish international through on net. He got by Kohn's last-ditch challenge on the deflection, and after the ball came off the post he was there to bungle it home off his thigh.
The hat trick was his fifth in the Champions League across a glittering career. The goals came just 12 minutes apart, equaling the feat he achieved against Red Star Belgrade in 2019, with both hat tricks at the time sitting as the joint-fifth quickest in Champions League history on time between the first and third goals.
Robert Lewandowski’s first-half vs RB Salzburg:
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 8, 2022
100% duels won (2/2)
75% pass accuracy
24 total touches
6 shots (4 on target)
3 goals
Some first-half…. 🇵🇱 #UCL pic.twitter.com/lPSqa3T4Rw
At that moment, Lewandowski's three goals also positioned him as the leading scorer in the competition that year, having netted 12 times over eight games, surpassing Sebastien Haller of Ajax who had 11 goals. Ultimately, he ended up two goals behind Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, who secured the title of top goal scorer for the 2022/23 season with 13 goals.