Soccer's Ultimate Goal-Scoring Feat: The Record-Breaking Single-Match Performance
Goals are the heartbeat of football, and the contemporary game has witnessed some extraordinary displays from world-class strikers.
However, even with the exceptional talents of stars like Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland, numerous incredible goalscoring achievements—established many years ago—remain unbroken.
Below are the records for the highest number of goals netted in one match by an individual player.
The Highest Goal Tally by One Player in a Single Game
Stefan Dembicki presently owns the record for the highest goal count by one player in a professional fixture—finding the net an incredible 16 times for RC Lens in their 32–0 triumph over Auby Asturies during the 1942 Coupe de France.
Notable mentions include Hacène Lalmas and Malika-e-Noor, who each found the back of the net 14 times in individual matches in Algeria and Pakistan respectively, plus Yanick Djouzi Manzizila, who netted 21 goals in one game for Congo United—a remarkable achievement despite not occurring in professional competition.
Additionally, Shokhan Salihi possesses the record for the highest goal tally in a women's football fixture—scoring 15 of Al Hilal's 18 unanswered strikes in the Saudi Women's Premier League. Sama endured that devastating 2022–23 defeat.
Highest Goal Count by One Player in a Premier League Game
Five players have netted five goals in one match during the Premier League era, with Andy Cole being the pioneer after scoring five of Manchester United's nine goals in their memorable demolition of Ipswich Town in 1995.
Alan Shearer matched this feat four years later, spearheading Newcastle United's 8–0 destruction of Sheffield Wednesday, though it required over a decade for another striker to achieve a five-goal haul.
Jermain Defoe dominated with five strikes for Tottenham against Wigan in 2009 before Dimitar Berbatov destroyed Blackburn with five goals of his own in November 2010.
Sergio Agüero represents the latest addition—devastating Newcastle almost single-handedly as Manchester City defeated the Magpies 6–1 in 2015.
Highest Goal Tally by One Player in a Champions League Game
Five remains the benchmark in the Champions League, with three players jointly holding the record for most goals in one fixture.
Predictably, Lionel Messi features among them—becoming the inaugural player to reach this milestone in March 2012 when Barcelona demolished Bayer Leverkusen 7-1 in the tournament's round of 16.
In October 2014, the relatively unknown Luiz Adriano became the second player to net five goals in a single UCL match when his Shakhtar Donetsk team crushed BATE Borisov 7-0.
Predictably, Erling Haaland joined the five-goal club in March 2023 against RB Leipzig, converting all his chances within sixty minutes before earning an early substitution—quite an evening's achievement.
Four players also scored five goals during the former European Cup era, most notably prolific striker Gerd Müller for Bayern Munich in 1972. Paul Van Himst, Claudio Sulser and Søren Lerby also accomplished this feat across Europe.
Highest Goal Count by One Player in a Europa League Fixture
Athletic Club icon Aritz Aduriz holds the record for most goals in a Europa League match, scoring all five of his team's strikes in a 5–3 win over Genk in 2016.
During its former incarnation as the UEFA Cup, eight players managed five goals in one game, including notable names like Fabrizio Ravanelli and Marco van Basten.
Highest Goal Tally by One Player in a La Liga Fixture
The record for most goals by one player in a La Liga match belongs jointly to historical legends Agustín Sauto Arana (commonly known as "Bata") and László Kubala, who each netted seven times.
Arana achieved this milestone first when his Athletic Club side demolished Barcelona 12–1 in 1931 before Kubala matched the record 21 years later, this time as Barcelona destroyed Sporting Gijon in a 9–0 rout.
Highest Goal Count by One Player in a Serie A Match
The record for most goals by one player in a Serie A fixture is also shared, with Silvio Piola and Omar Sívori of Vercelli and Juventus respectively both scoring six times in individual matches.
Furthermore, 13 players in Italy's premier division have netted five goals in one game, with Miroslav Klose being the most recent in 2013—his strikes arriving within just 40 minutes.
Highest Goal Tally by One Player in a Bundesliga Match
Regarding the most goals by one player in a Bundesliga fixture, you likely think immediately of Robert Lewandowski and his incredible substitute performance against Wolfsburg—entering the match to score five goals in merely nine minutes.
Nevertheless, that tally remained one short of Dieter Müller's Bundesliga record, who scored six goals in one match when Köln demolished Werder Bremen 7–2 in 1977.
Bayern Munich icon Gerd Müller, meanwhile, netted five goals in individual matches on four different occasions.
Highest Goal Count by One Player in a Ligue 1 Match
Looking back to the 1930s, astonishingly the only two seven-goal performances in Ligue 1 history occurred within three years of one another.
André Abegglen initiated this trend, scoring seven of Sochaux's 12 goals against Valenciennes, while the same opponents suffered again when Jean Nicolas netted seven times three years later in Rouen's 9–1 triumph.