Nigeria has made history as the first African nation to have its players register hat-tricks across all three UEFA club competitions — a milestone that reinforces the country’s reputation as a breeding ground for exceptional football talent, writes Peter Akinbo.
Victor Osimhen – Champions League
On November 5, 2025, Victor Osimhen etched his name in the record books by becoming only the second Nigerian to net a hat-trick in the UEFA Champions League. His stellar performance propelled Galatasaray to a decisive 3–0 win over Ajax at the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam.
The Super Eagles forward delivered a masterclass in striking, converting two penalties and adding a goal from open play as the Turkish champions extended their strong run in Europe.
His treble makes him the first Galatasaray player to achieve the feat in the competition since Burak Yilmaz’s hat-trick against Cluj in 2012.
The former African Footballer of the Year’s latest feat continued his exceptional form in Europe, where he had scored 12 goals in his last eight games for Galatasaray.
Wednesday’s performance also extended Osimhen’s record as the top-scoring Nigerian in Champions League history with 15 goals, surpassing Obafemi Martins’ tally of 10.
Yakubu Aiyegbeni – Champions League
Years before Osimhen’s heroics, Yakubu Aiyegbeni became the first Nigerian to score a Champions League hat-trick, achieving the feat on his debut in the competition.
The ex-Nigeria international bagged three goals against Olympiacos on September 24, 2002, as Maccabi Haifa secured a resounding 3–0 victory.
The young forward was unstoppable in the match, announcing his arrival on Europe’s biggest stage in emphatic fashion.
He became the first African player to score a UCL hat-trick, a record that stood alone for Nigerian footballers until Osimhen’s treble 23 years later.
Ademola Lookman – Europa League
Ademola Lookman produced one of the greatest individual performances ever seen in a European final when he struck an incredible hat-trick to secure Europa League glory for Atalanta on May 22, 2024.
The Super Eagles winger single-handedly ended the unbeaten run of Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, who arrived in Dublin on a streak of 51 matches without defeat.
The goals were all of the highest quality, showcasing predatory instincts, brilliant technique, and clinical finishing.
It was just the sixth hat-trick to be scored in the final of a major UEFA competition, and the first since 1975.
Lookman became the first player to score a treble in a Europa League final, the first hat-trick hero in a major European final in over 35 years, and the first footballer to score a hat-trick in a one-legged men’s European final since 1969.
Gift Orban – Europa Conference League
Gift Orban wrote his name in the record books by scoring not one but two hat-tricks in the UEFA Europa Conference League, including the quickest treble in the history of UEFA club competition.
The Nigerian striker grabbed a hat-trick in three minutes and 25 seconds during Gent’s round of 16 second leg against İstanbul Başakşehir, eclipsing the landmarks set in both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
Orban’s record-breaking feat surpassed Mohamed Salah’s Champions League record of seven minutes and Patson Daka’s Europa League mark of 10 minutes.
In the 2023/24 Europa Conference League campaign, Orban scored another European hat-trick, this time against Pogoń Szczecin in the first leg of the third qualification round, resulting in a 5–0 win for Gent.