Ademola Lookman and 3 Other Players in History Who Have Scored Hat Trick in UCL or UEL final

• Ademola Lookman smashed three goals in the Europa League final on Wednesday, May 22, 2024
• The Nigeria international became the first player to ever score a treble of goals in a Europa League final
• He is the second player to score a hat trick in a final of a major European competition for an Italian side

Ademola Lookman - remember the name.

The Atalanta winger wrote his name in the football history books on Wednesday, May 22, after a masterful performance in the Europa League final.

Lookman’s team, Atalanta, proved too strong for Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, cruising to a 3-0 victory at the Dublin Arena.

The 26-year-old Nigerian bagged all three goals, in what was a one-man show in the Cup final to put an end to Leverkusen’s 51-game unbeaten streak.

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He opened the scoring in the 12th minute, exploiting Exequiel Palacios’s lapse in concentration to produce a neat finish.

In the 26th minute, Lookman picked up a poor backwards header from Armine Adli, beat Granit Xhaka and bent the ball into the back of the net to give his side a 2-0 lead.

Despite trailing by two goals, fans were not too worried for Leverkusen, who have developed an infamous reputation for mounting late comebacks this season.

But there were no signs of a comeback against Gian Piero Gasperini in Ireland, as Atalanta simply looked like they wanted to win the Cup final more.

Lookman sealed his hat trick in style with another top finish past Majej Kovar 15 minutes from time.

Lookman makes history

Thanks to his treble, the Nigerian ace became the first player to ever score a hat trick in a Europa League final.

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In addition, Lookman joins three other players in the history books who have scored hat tricks in European Cup finals.

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We have to go back to the 1959/1960 season to find other players who scored a treble of goals in a European final, according to Opta Analyst.

Ferenc Puskas

The legendary Hungarian player scored two hat tricks in European cup finals.

In the 1959-60 season, Puskas scored thrice for Real Madrid against Eintracht Frankfurt, while his other treble came in the 1961-62 campaign as Real Madrid lost 5-3 to Benfica, according to the UEFA website.

Alfredo Di Stéfano

Another legendary footballing name, Alfredo Di Stéfano scored a hat trick in the same final as Puskas.

Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 in the 1959-60 final, with Puskas scoring four times while Di Stefano got three goals.

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Pierino Prati

Italian cult hero Pierino Prati is the only other name in football history to have scored a hat trick in an international club cup final.

He netted three for AC Milan against Ajax in the 1968-69 season, remarkably getting his goals in the last 15 minutes of the game. Ajax won that game 4-1.

Lookman speaks after Europa League heroics

Sports Brief also reported on Lookman’s first sentiments after his historic hat trick.

In an interview with TNT Sports after the match, Lookman claimed Wednesday night was one of the best nights of his life.

The Nigerian international also commented on the Europa final being the first his team won out of the three finals this year.