R Vaishali becomes the third Indian women's Grandmaster and 84th overall in India after crossing 2500 rating points in 2023 El Llobregat Open in Spain on Friday. After Koneru Humpy and Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali became the third woman Grandmaster from India to set the record.

Also Read: Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar wins Jimmy George Award for the best sportsperson of Kerala

R Vaishali and her younger brother R Praggnanandhaa are now the first siblings to be Grand Masters. The 22-year-old Grandmaster, R Vaishali, who has three GM terms namely Xtracon Open 2019, Fischer Memorial 2022 and Qatar Masters 2023, needed only 4.5 ratings to cross the 2500 mark.

R Vaishali is currently ranked 11th in the world with a live rating of 2501.5 in the women's rankings, followed by India at the second position. The winner of FIDE Women's Grand Swiss 2023 has also qualified for the Candidates tournament. She was the first Indian woman to achieve the feat. With this Vaishali has become India's number two taking over Harika Dronavalli and world number eleven.

R Vaishali won two games back-to-back at the tournament to become India's latest GM. She is the third-ever women Grandmaster of India. Vaishali ended a long wait of 12 years after Harika became GM in 2011.

Also Read: Anahat Singh makes history as youngest National Squash Champion in over two decades

Vaishali was the first one from the family to engage in chess and the siblings started playing the sport to distract themselves from television. Coached by Grandmaster RB Ramesh, both siblings started their careers under his watchful guidance. Earlier this year, the duo became the first siblings to qualify for the Candidates tournament. Pragg qualified after finishing runner-up in the Chess World Cup, while Vaishali earned her qualification after winning the Grand Swiss Open.

Indian cricket team management suffered major setbacks ahead of the ENG vs IND, 4th test in Manchester, starting from Wednesday. Two Indian pacers, Akash Deep and Ashdeep Singh, have been ruled out of the 4th test along with all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy.

With three players already ruled out due to injuries, Shubman Gill and company will have to find solutions within the squad to name a strong playing XI at Old Trafford. 

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who was hit on his bowling hand, needed stitches. As per the reports of the Indian Express on Sunday, the Medium Pacer will need at least 10 days to recover. This has already ruled him out of the fourth test, and he is unlikely to return for the final test starting on 31st July.

As per the same report by The Indian Express, another pacer, Akash Deep, who was India's hero in their first-ever Test win in Birmingham, has issues with his groin and back. The Indian team management does not want to take risks with his injuries, and thus, he will be monitored as a precaution.

On the other hand, Hindustan Times reported that all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy suffered an injury during the gym session on Sunday. So he is also ruled out of the fourth test at Old Trafford Stadium. 

In the situation where India are trailing by 1-2 in the Test series and needs to win the 4th test, to be in contention to win the series, Gautam Gambhir and company will have to dig deep to find solutions.

Here are the solutions India can go for during the 4th test. 

#1 Bumrah, Siraj, Shardul, and who?

With both Akashdeep and Arshdeep Singh being ruled out, there is certainty that Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Siraj will be India's leading pacers in the fourth test. Although our questions on the workload management of both those pacers, they will have to be at their best if India wants to bring balance to the series. 

Now, with Nitish Kumar Reddy's injury, India will have to go back to Shardul Thakur, who played in the first test in Leeds. The Mumbai all-rounder only scored 4 runs and took two wickets in that match. 

But if India wants to go for another pacer, they will have the option of Prasidh Krishna and newcomer Anshul Kamboj. Krishna, who did not do very well in the first two test matches, might not be brought back. In that case, Kamboj, who has done well in the first-class games he has played so far, is likely to get his test cap.

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#2 Should Kuldeep Yadav play?

Now, this has been an inclusion that Indian fans have been waiting for from the first test. Kuldeep, who last featured in test matches for India in 2024 against New Zealand at home, can bring the ex-factor in the bowling lineup. But this will leave the batting lineup a bit thin. 

Since Gautam Gambhir has always looked to go for that added batting cushion, it will be hard for Kuldeep to find his place. Even if he plays, will India look to sacrifice Washington Sundar? This would be a very hard question to answer.

#3 Jurel to keep, Pant to play as a specialist batter

Along with these three injuries, we had already reported that Rishabh Pant has not recovered fully from the finger injury he suffered during the Lord's Test. In that case, Dhruv Jurel, who kept wicket at Lord's, is likely to play as a wicket keeper while Rishabh Pant could play as only a specialist batter.

If Jurel comes in, India can leave Shardul out and bring Kuldeep Yadav into the playing XI. However, it will only depend on the pitch condition.

ENG vs IND, 4th test: India's possible lineup

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj

If you're a football buff, getting into every Messi vs Ronaldo stat and comparison might be a daily task for you. On Sportz Point, we have tried to cover every Messi vs Roanldo comparison possible for you. Today, we have something special for you. 

In this article, we will get to know every detail about the non-penalty goals scored by both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Recently, Lionel Messi has gone past Cristiano Ronaldo in terms of scoring the most non-penalty goals in the 21st century. How many goals did they score? We will get to know about this today. 

Read Also | Statistical Overlook of Messi vs Ronaldo Debate: Who Is the G.O.A.T?

What is a non-penalty goal?

This is quite easy and simple to understand. We know for a football geek like you, it is a simple answer. But, for everyone new to football, we have got you covered as well. 

A non-penalty goal is a goal scored from open play, not from the penalty spot. A penalty is something a footballer scores from 12 yards (11 meters) from the goal line and centred between the touchlines, which is called the penalty spot.

Read Also | Premier League jerseys of each club for the 2025-26 season

Who has scored the most non-penalty goals?

Since there is no definite record of the official goals scored in past, mostly in the 1970s, and before that, we will only consider the stats of the 21st century to answer this one. 

As of 21st July, 2025, Lionel Messi has scored the most non-penalty goals in the 21st century. The Argentine has scored 764 non-penalty goals in just 1114 appearances. 

Messi vs Ronaldo: Non-penalty goals comparison

Lionel Messi leads by one goal compared to Cristiano Ronaldo when it comes to non-penalty goals scored in football. Messi has scored 764 non-penalty goals in just 1114 appearances, of which 676 came for the clubs he has played for. 

Messi has scored 111 non-penalty goals in the Champions League as well.

Read Also | Top 10: Most Free-kick Goals In Football History (Updated)

Meantime, Cristiano Ronaldo, who has scored the most goals in the 21st century, has scored 763 non-penalty goals till now in 1281 matches. Ronaldo has scored 646 non-penalty goals in his club career, which is 30 fewer than Messi's record. 

Read Also | Every single trophy Cristiano Ronaldo has won in his career

However, the Portuguese has a better record than Messi when it comes to the Champions League and international football. But he has played 167 more matches than Messi. 

What percentage of Messi and Ronald's goals came in penalties?

Till now, Messi has converted 110 of the 141 he has taken so far. So, since he has scored 874 goals so far in his career, only 12.5% goals came through penalties. 

Meanwhile, as of 21st July, 2025, Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 175 penalty goals of the 208 penalties he has taken so far. And if we calculate it with the 938 career goals Ronaldo has, 18.65% goals came through penalties. 

Although fans have some time to wait before the Premier League 2025/26 season, the preparation for the teams is definitely under way. Manchester City follow Everton, Leeds United and West Ham United are the latest clubs to unveil their Premier League jerseys. While each kit will keep the team colours, there are always new ways to play with the look for both home and away.

Also Read: I-League winners since 2007-08

2025-26 Premier League jerseys for Each Club

Arsenal

Arsenal’s new kit for their men’s and women’s teams lean into nostalgia with the red shirt, trimmed with white shoulders and red detailing, featuring the letter 'A' on the badge at the forefront, in a reference to the 1990-91 title-winning season.

Aston Villa

The design includes nods to the home city of Birmingham, with design details inspired by the iconic Bullring, where the team has a new fan store.

AFC Bournemouth

The red and black stripes are a little broader than usual and the metallic gold trim adds a sprinkling of glitz. It's unlikely to make much of an impact outside of the immediate vicinity of the Vitality Stadium.

Brentford

Brentford's latest home shirt celebrates the 100th anniversary of the team adopting red and white stripes as their official club colours. Naturally, the design is just that, with the heritage faux lace-up collar being the only real retro appointment of note, a nod to the first batch of home jerseys worn by the Bees in 1925.

Brighton & Hove Albion

Rather than the standard yellow trim, this season's familiar blue-and-white stripes are accompanied by accents of minty turquoise like the rails that run along the city's seafront.

Burnley

The new kit has been designed to visually encapsulate the rugged landscape that surround Burnley and celebrate the beauty of Lancashire.

Chelsea

Chelsea have revealed their sleek away kit, with a largely white look, accented with red and green.

Crystal Palace

After a few years of more experimental and off-piste designs, the Eagles' new home jersey features clean red and blue stripes with all the extra detailing picked out in white.

Everton

This one comes in a beautiful shade of creamy yellow and includes subtle references to the industrial heritage of the Bramley-Moore docklands, the site of the club's new stadium. The pattern on the sleeves references the old railway lines that ran in and out of the area and have since been reinstalled as a heritage attraction. 

Leeds United

The blocky, tessellating pattern found on the collar and cuff is actually a replication of the yellow and blue tile pattern found in the Lowfields Tunnel near Elland Road.

Manchester City

Keeping the typical sky blue colour, Man City have adopted a new look, with a white slash across the front and minimalistic emphasis on its sponsors.

Manchester United

This design is fairly traditional, with a solid red base and sparse black-and-white trim. However, the material does contain a subtle reference to Old Trafford via a smattering of dots and stripes.

Newcastle United

Newcastle United’s 2025/26 kit doesn’t just look good, but also does good, with £5 per shirt sold going to the Newcastle United Foundation.

Nottingham Forest

With a folding collar and immaculate white pinstriping inspired by the revered home shirt of 1992-1994.

Sunderland

A lovely bit of retro-infused handiwork from Danish brand Hummel here, who have used Sunderland's cult classic 1989-91 away kit as inspiration for a demure maritime-themed jersey that is covered in a pattern made up of local coastal landmarks, including the Roker Beach lighthouse.

Also Read: Most goal contributions in every season since 2001 [Updated]

Tottenham Hotspur

Released with the dramatic tagline "In darkness, we dare," the blackout design has a dark-grey grid pattern overlaid to add some texture. 

West Ham United

The new away kit is the particular shade of creamy off-white that only seems to exist in British football kits of the mid-to-late-1990s. 

Wolverhampton Wanderers

A sharp kit that also features a mini history lesson in the form of the pattern that is debossed into the fabric of the jersey. 

Hat tricks are one of the toughest and most exciting things in football. To score thrice in a single match is not only hard but also one of the rarest things as well. However, some players have made it look so easy.

Today, in this article, we will talk about the top ten players with most hat tricks in football in the 21st century.

But before that, let me answer the question that you have in your mind. I know that you want to know who has scored the most hat-tricks in football history.

Who has scored the most hat-tricks in football history?

Now that's a very tricky question to answer because there is a lack of proof with the data of football score lines from the past.

As per Guinness World Records, the Brazilian legend Pele has scored the most hat-tricks in football history. The former striker scored as many as 92 hat tricks in his career, with seven of them being for Brazil. However, since Pele never played in Europe, there is no exact data or proof to support the answer. Most of Pele's hat-tricks came in unofficial and friendlies as well.

Top 12 players with most hat-tricks in football in the 21st century

Now, to list the top ten players with most hat tricks in football in the 21st century, there will be no confusion, because we have the proof and the data to support our list. This data not only validates but also proves why keeping the record of every football stat is important.

With this list, you will know how the 21st century has been dominated by two of the greatest footballers in history.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have scored twice as many hat tricks as the 3rd player on the list has achieved.

Here is the full list of the top 12 players with most hat-tricks in football in the 21st century.

12. Sergio Aguero | 18 hat-tricks

The former Manchester City and Argentina legend is one of the greatest strikers of this century. Sergio Aguero finished his career as one of the highest scorers in Premier League history with 180 goals for Manchester City in the league.

With 18 hat tricks to his name, including his club and international career, Aguero is the player with the 12th most hat-tricks in the 21st century.

Not surprisingly, twelve of his 18 hat tricks came for Manchester City, most in the Premier League. However, Aguero only scored one hat-trick for Argentina in his international career.

The former striker scored more than four goals three times in his career, all in the Premier League. 

11. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | 18

Now, this name can come as a surprise to many Gen-Z football followers. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, the former Dutch and Ajax centre-forward, scored 18 hat-tricks in his stunning football career.

Although three of his 18 hat-tricks came in the second division of the Dutch League, they are considered official hat-tricks.

Huntelaar scored seven hat-tricks for Ajax and eight for German club FC Schalke. He could only score one international hat-trick for the Netherlands.

Huntelaar scored 366 goals in his career and also featured for clubs like Real Madrid and AC Milan.

Read Also | European treble winners in men's football history

#10. Mario Gomez | 18

The former German striker is one of the most underrated players of his generation. Over his entire career, Mario Gomez scored 333 goals in 610 games for teams like FC Bayern Munich, VfB Stuttgart and Fiorentina.

The one-time Champions League and three-time Bundesliga winner scored 18 hat-tricks in his career.

12 of his hat-tricks came for FC Bayern Munich, while four came for Stuttgart and one each for Wolfsburg and Germany.

#9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 20

One of the most acrobatic and threatening strikers of the modern era, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is one of the highest scorers of the 21st century.

The Swedish legend is perhaps one of the greatest players to never win the UEFA Champions League despite playing for teams like FC Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Manchester United, PSG and Juventus.

Read Also | Players with most Champions League finals without winning it ever

Zlatan scored 20 hat-tricks in his career, among which half were for PSG. He scored four hat-tricks for his country, Sweden.

#8 Neymar | 21

The Brazilian modern-day great, Neymar, is one of the most loved and eye-catching footballers of the 21st century. Neymar is Brazil's highest goal scorer ever, with 79 goals in 120 matches.

The attacking midfielder made his name with Brazilian club Santos and then went on to conquer Europe with FC Barcelona and PSG before joining Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

Four of his 21 hat tricks came for Brazil, which is the second most for the five-time world champion nation. He scored four hat tricks each for FC Barcelona and PSG, while scoring eight hat tricks for his home club, Santos. 

#7 Kylian Mbappe | 22

Now here comes the new generation superstar. Kylian Mbappe has already broken multiple football records in his short career for AS Monaco, PSG, Real Madrid and France.

One of the youngest goal scorers in FIFA World Cup history and one of the youngest ever to score in a World Cup final, Kylian Mbappe is indeed made for greatness.

Read Also | Most Valuable Football Players In 2025: Who is Worth the Big Bucks?

Mbappe has already scored 22 hat-tricks in his career, which include one in the famous FIFA World Cup 2022 final as well. The youngster, who is often compared with Cristiano Ronaldo, has scored 14 hat-tricks for PSG and three for France. The rest came for AS Monaco (2) and Real Madrid (3).

#6 Erling Haaland | 25

Norwegian Erling Haaland is a beast when it comes to scoring goals within the 'D box'. He would always see him at the right place at the right time, scoring some great acrobatic goals.

Haaland rose to fame with German club Borussia Dortmund and then unleashed his absolute best for Premier League club Manchester City. In his first season in the Premier League, he broke the record for the most goals in a season in the tournament (36).

In 329 matches, he has scored 24 hat-tricks and can only get better from here on. 11 of his hat-tricks came for Manchester City, among which 8 came in the Premier League, in only two seasons. 

Read Also | Football facts: Son-father footballer duo to play for national teams

#5 Harry Kane | 27

Harry Kane is the only English player on our list of the top 12 players with most hat tricks in football in 21st century. With 27 hat tricks in his career till now, Harry Kane is fifth on our list currently.

Read Also | Harry Kane becomes the fastest footballer to score 50 Bundesliga goals

The Tottenham Hotspur legend, who left Premier League with the second most goals in the competition's history, is now breaking records in the Bundesliga as well.

Kane scored 14 hat-tricks for Spurs and has already scored 8 hat-tricks for FC Bayern Munich in just two seasons.

Read Also | Last 10 European Golden Shoe winners List

#4 Luis Suarez | 30

Uruguayan legend Luis Suarez, who dominated European football first for Ajax and Liverpool and then for FC Barcelona, creating the famous M-S-N trio with Lionel Messi and Neymar, scored 30 hat-tricks in his career.

Suarez is currently playing for Inter Miami and has scored 505 goals so far in his career, among which 69 came for Uruguay. 

Twelve of his total 30 career hat-tricks came for FC Barcelona and 9 for Ajax during his early days.

Read Also | MSN vs BBC: Rivalry of football's greatest trio in stats

#3 Robert Lewandowski | 34

If we do not count Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, Robert Lewandowski of Poland has been the greatest footballer of this generation. It is harsh that he always gets compared to those two and has not recieve the appreciation he should get.

He was even unlucky not to win the 2020 Ballon d'Or, which was cancelled due to COVID-19. Apart from Messi and Cristiano, he is the only player to score over 100 Champions League goals.

Read Also | Highest scoring footballers of the 21st century

Lewandowski scored 34 hat-tricks in his career so far, and 20 of them came for FC Bayern Munich, where he won 8 Bundesliga and one Champions League titles. With 6 UCL hat-tricks, he is the player with the second most hat-tricks in the competition's history, only behind Lionel Messi. 

#2 Lionel Messi | 59

Now you will have to bear with me a bit because the list will get bigger.

Lionel Messi, who has won the most trophies in football history, won the most Ballon d'Or awards, scored the second most four or more goals in football (8), and also has the record for most goal contributions in football history, scoring 59 hat-tricks in his career so far.

Messi also has the record of scoring the most La Liga (36) hat-tricks, which is more than other player's whole career.

The Argentine has scored 48 hat-tricks for FC Barcelona, which is also a record. Messi till now has scored 10 international hat-tricks, the most for Argentina and joint-most in international football history.

Moreover, out of Messi's 59 hat-tricks, only 12 included a penalty, which makes him the player with the most non-penalty hat-tricks as well. 

#1 Cristiano Ronaldo | 66

Here comes the greatest goal scorer in football history, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese legend has scored the most hat-tricks in football in the 21st century. And, if you do not count the unverified record for Pele, he has the most hat-tricks in football history.

Most goals in club history, most goals in international football, most Champions League goals, joint-most Champions League hat-tricks (10), most league hat-tricks (45) - these are a few of the records set by the former Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus star.

Ronaldo, till now, has scored 66 career hat-tricks, among which 44 came for Real Madrid, a record for the Los Blancos. Moreover, he has scored four or more goals in a game a record 11 times, scoring 4 goals in a game nine times and 5 goals twice.

However, compared with Lionel Messi, 29 of Ronaldo's 66 career hat-tricks included a penalty.

Few legacies in sports are as enduring and inspiring as those of father-son duos who have left an unforgettable mark on the game. Cricket is filled with iconic father-son duos who have captured the hearts of fans worldwide. While some sons struggled to meet the towering expectations set by their fathers, others rose above the legacy, stepping out of their father’s shadow to make their own mark.

In this article, we will take a look at the cricket facts of father-Son duos who played for India.

Also Read: 10 Forgotten Indian Cricketers and Their Stories

Cricket facts | Father-Son duos who played for India

Hemant (Father) and Hrishikesh Kanitkar (Son)

A former Indian cricketer, Hemant Kanitkar was a versatile batsman who played for Maharashtra and two international games for India in 1974.

Later on, his son Hrishikesh Kantikar went on to make his India debut as an all-rounder, playing two Tests and 34 ODIs. 

Vijay Manjrekar (Father) and Sanjay Manjrekar (Son)

Vijay Manjrekar represented the Indian team from 1950 onwards. His 222-run partnership with Vijay Hazare against England etched his name in history. He played 53 Tests for India. 

Sanjay Manjrekar also joined the Indian cricket team in 1987 and played 111 matches. But his career did not last long. Sanjay played 37 Tests and 74 ODIs for the country before he was bogged down by the weight of expectations thrust on him. 

Roger Binny (Father) and Stuart Binny (Son)

Stuart Binny and Roger Binny have also played international cricket for India. Roger is currently the BCCI chief and he played a total of 99 matches in international cricket for India, in which he took 124 wickets. Apart from this, he also scored 1459 runs. 

On the other hand, Stuart's career was not very long. He played a total of 23 matches in international cricket for India.

Lala Amarnath (Father) and Mohinder Amarnath Surinder Amarnath (Son)

Lala Amarnath played 24 Test matches between 1933 and 1952, he also played 186 first class matches. His two sons Mohinder Amarnath and Surinder Amarnath also became cricketers. 

Mohinder played 69 Tests and 85 ODIs. Surinder played 10 Tests and 3 ODIs. Mohinder Amarnath was the hero of the 1983 World Cup victory and was considered one of the best pace bowling batsmen of his time. Surinder Amarnath had made a record of scoring a century in his first Test.

Sunil Gavaskar (Father) and Rohan Gavaskar (Son)

Both Sunil Gavaskar and his son Rohan Gavaskar have played international cricket for India. Gavaskar is considered India's greatest batsman. He is the first player to reach the 10,000-run mark in Test cricket. He played a total of 233 international matches for India. 

On the other hand, his son Rohan could play only 11 ODI matches for India.

Also Read: Best Indian Sports Biopics of All Time

Yograj Singh (Father) and Yuvraj Singh (Son)

Both Yuvraj Singh and his father Yograj Singh have played international cricket for India. Yograj Singh's career was not very long. He played only 1 Test and 6 ODI matches for India. In both formats, he scored a total of only 11 runs.

On the other hand, Yograj Singh's son Yuvraj Singh has been a famous all-rounder. He played a total of 402 matches in international cricket for India, in which he scored 11778 runs. During this, he also took 148 wickets. 

Yuvi performed brilliantly in the ODI World Cup 2011 and scored 362 runs. Apart from this, he also took 15 wickets. Due to this, he received the Player of the Tournament award.