Five Goals in A Game

Messi is not the only star to score five times in one game - here are 10 others to hit a quintet of goals

Lionel Messi set a new record for the most goals in a single Champions League match when he netted five times in Barcelona’s emphatic 7-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen at Camp Nou.

The Argentine maestro continues to shatter records on his way to becoming the greatest player of all time. With the dynamic dynamo's impressive goal haul still fresh in our minds, Goal.com takes a look at some other players who can lay claim to scoring five goals in a single encounter.

Football luminaries with colourful nicknames such as 'SuperMac' and 'Der Bomber' take centre stage as we examine some of the most historic and significant five-goal heroes.

Andy Cole: MANCHESTER UNITED vs Ipswich Town - 1995

Andy Cole was a prolific striker in his day and forged a fearsome partnership with Dwight Yorke up front for the Red Devils. The former England international enjoyed a memorable six-year stint with Sir Alex Ferguson's side during which he became the first player in Premier League history to score five goals in a single game.

Cole achieved the impressive feat against Ipswich Town on March 5, 1995. He brought the Old Trafford faithful to their feet early and often as shell-shocked Canadian keeper Craig Forrest was forced to pick the ball out of his net nine times. Cole went on to win five Premier League titles and one Champions League crown before joining Blackburn in 2001.

Daniel Fonseca: Valencia vs NAPOLI - 1992

Daniel Fonseca spent a big chunk of his career in Italy and was a hit in Naples during his two seasons at the Stadio San Paolo. The highlight of his short spell came in the Uefa Cup clash against Guus Hiddink's Valencia on September 16, 1992 when he scored all of Napoli's goals in the 5-1 win at Mestalla. The result still stands as the Partenopei's biggest away victory in Europe.

The Uruguayan was then lured to the capital city by Roma before finishing his Italian adventure in Turin where he won two Serie A titles with Juventus.

Jurgen Klinsmann: Fortuna Dusseldorf vs STUTTGART - 1986

Jurgen Klinsmann enjoyed a glittering career for both club and country and announced his presence on the German scene as a 21-year-old with a five-goal outburst in the 7-0 dismantling of Fortuna Dusseldorf on March 15, 1986.

He scored five times during a 42-minute span in the lopsided victory and received his maiden call-up to the Germany national team a year later. Klinsmann went on to shine for European powerhouses Inter and Bayern Munich and is currently the coach of the US national team.

Soren Lerby: AJAX vs Omonia - 1979
Soren Lerby was the last player to score five goals in Europe's top club competition before Messi did the trick against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday. The Dane's five-strike salvo came in the European Cup against Omonia Nicosia on October 29, 1979.

Lerby's scintillating display in Ajax's 10-0 win is made all the more remarkable considering that he was a hard-working midfielder and not a predatory striker. The Denmark international finally got his hands on the European Cup when he won the competition with PSV in 1988.

Roberto Pruzzo: ROMA vs Avellino - 1986

Roberto Pruzzo still holds legendary status in the Italian capital after 'Il Bomber' won the Capocannoniere on three different occasions with the Giallorossi. The Italian has been passed by Francesco Totti as the club's top scorer but still holds the record for most goals in a single Serie A encounter.

Pruzzo found the back of the net five times to hand Sven-Goran Eriksson's side a 5-1 triumph over Avellino on February 16, 1986.
 
Malcolm Macdonald: ENGLAND vs Cyprus - 1975

Malcolm Macdonald wrote his name into the history books by scoring all five goals in England's 5-0 win over Cyprus on April 16, 1975. He could have ended up with even more goals if not for an offside decision and an effort that struck the post late on.

Affectionately called 'SuperMac' because of his goalscoring prowess, the forward enjoyed a stellar career for Luton Town, Newcastle and Arsenal. Macdonald made a total of 14 appearances for the Three Lions but could never come close to reliving that magical night at Wembley.

Gerd Muller: BAYERN MUNICH vs TeBe Berlin - 1976

Gerd Muller was one of the most prolific strikers to ever grace a football pitch and it should not be surprising that he netted five times in the 9-0 win against Tebe Berlin on September 10, 1976, but what is quite astonishing is that he repeated the feat on three other occasions.

'Der Bomber' was the German top scorer seven times during his storied career and won the European Player of the Year in 1970. It's not hard to see why he was given his nickname.

Oleg Salenko: RUSSIA vs Cameroon - 1994

Oleg Salenko is best remembered for his five-goal explosion in the 1994 World Cup group stage match against Cameroon. The Russians comfortably ran out 6-1 winners but failed to progress to the knockout round after losing to Sweden and Brazil.

Salenko also scored against the Swedes to take his overall tally to six, which was good enough to be the joint-top scorer in the tournament. He still holds the record for most goals in a single World Cup encounter.

Alan Shearer: NEWCASTLE vs Sheffield Wednesday - 1999

Alan Shearer is the all-time leading scorer in the Premier League with 260 goals so it comes as little surprise that he burst out five against lowly Sheffield Wednesday on September 19, 1999. The Englishman was uncompromising in the final third on that fateful day and his goal tally was aided by two penalties.

Shearer finished with 148 league goals for the Magpies and went on to manage the club after he retired in 2006.

Archie Thompson: MELBOURNE VICTORY vs Adelaide Utd - 2007

Archie Thompson picked an opportune time to have one of the best games of his career. The Australia international scored five times in Melbourne Victory's 6-0 triumph over Adelaide United in the A-League Grand Final on February 18, 2007.

Thompson is no stranger to putting up impressive single-game statistics as he also scored 13 goals in Australia's 31-0 win over American Samoa in a World Cup qualifier back in April 2001.

Honourable Mentions

Unfortunately we had to leave a handful of superb performances off the list but would like to recognise Ian Rush's quintuple against Luton Town on October 29, 1983. Legendary Galatasaray striker Tanju Colak also deserves a mention for celebrating a five-goal haul on two different occasions.

Jose Altafini scored five times in AC Milan's 8-0 win over Union Luxembourg on September 12, 1962 while Fabrizio Ravanelli matched that feat in Juve's 5-1 win over CSKA Sofia in 1996.

Atli Edvaldsson became the first non-German player to score five goals in the Bundesliga back in 1983 and Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov was the first foreign striker in the Premier League to hit five, against Blackburn last season.

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