Champions League's Elite Four-Goal Heroes: The Legendary Players Who Conquered Europe's Biggest Stage

Anthony Gordon entered an exclusive club of players after netting four goals in Newcastle United's dominant 6–1 victory over Qarabağ, launching their Champions League knockout playoff campaign in spectacular style.

Before the match began in Azerbaijan, just 17 four-goal performances—achieved by 15 different players—had been documented in the tournament since its transformation from the European Cup in 1992. Two of these prolific scorers even managed to find the net a fifth time in a single match.

Two of Gordon's quartet came via penalty kicks, but all four were netted during the opening 45 minutes alone. While impressive, this timing doesn't rank among the fastest and fails to break into the top 10 for the England international.

The pair of five-goal performances in Champions League history belong to Lionel Messi—naturally—and former Shakhtar Donetsk forward Luiz Adriano. Messi found the net five times within 60 minutes against Bayer Leverkusen in the 2011–12 campaign, a season where he tallied 73 goals overall. Adriano surpassed this feat by scoring his five goals in just 54 minutes against BATE Borisov during 2014–15.

The quickest four-goal display in Champions League history belongs to Robert Lewandowski, who incredibly struck four times in just 14 minutes when Bayern Munich met Red Star Belgrade in 2019–20, ultimately claiming the title in that pandemic-affected season.

Lewandowski stands as the sole player besides Messi to feature twice on this list. His second appearance was considerably slower—taking 59 minutes—but came against the formidable Real Madrid in the semifinals, when the Polish striker was spearheading Borussia Dortmund's attack in 2012–13.

Cristiano Ronaldo also earns a spot on the list, though just once, for his four-goal display while representing Real Madrid against Malmö in the 2015–16 group phase.

All-Time Champions League Four-Goal Hauls

All-Time Champions League Four-Goal Hauls