From Santos to the World: Neymar's Journey is football's greatest "Could Have Been"
In this article, we will explore the journey of Brazilian star Neymar Jr., who was destined to be one of the greatest footballers ever but remained as football's greatest "Could Have Been."
Neymar Jr.and Al-Hilalhave mutually parted ways, as the Saudi Arabian side announced yesterday issuing a statement that "Al-Hilal Club Company and Neymar Jr. have agreed to terminate their contractual relationship by mutual consent."
Neymar has also posted an emotional message to the Al-Hilal fans and the club on his socials, thanking them for the memories in Saudi Arabia.
To everyone at Al Hilal, to the fans, Thank you !! I gave everything to play and I wish we enjoyed better times on the pitch together .. To Saudi, thank you for giving me and my family a new home and new experiences I now know the real Saudi and have friends for life I always… pic.twitter.com/NgeoUjZk1D
The 32-year-old Brazilian is reportedly set for a sensational homecoming to Santos FC, where he spent his boyhood and became a household name during his early days before entering a rollercoaster ride in European football.
Neymar is often regarded as one of the greatest players who could not live up to their potential. He is also widely debated as the greatest footballer who never won a Ballon d'Or. Now, Neymar's reported homecoming to the roots is making fans teary and also leaving them in despair, is he the football's greatest "Could Have Been"?
The ascendence to glory and gloom: Neymar's journey from Santos to European football
Neymar in Santos, 2012.
The little boy who started to nurture his footballing skills in the streets of São Paulo caught the attention of the scouts from the renowned Brazilian football club Santos FC. It was in 2003 when Neymar Da Silva Santos Jr., aged only 11, entered the Santos Academy's premises as the new inductee to the youth team.
Cut to the year 2009. After showcasing his immense technical ability, and pure Brazilian-style of footballing skills across the youth ranks of Santos, Neymar earned his debut for theSantos senior team at the age of only 17.
Over the next four years, Neymar Jr. bagged an impressive tally of 136 goals and 64 assists in 225 appearances across all competitions. The young Brazilian played an integral part in Santos' victorious 2010-11 Copa Libertadores campaign and in winning the 2010 Brazilian Cup as well.
Neymar Jr. stormed into the headlines of football discussions worldwide, regarding him as the heir of the likes of Kaka and Ronaldinho in the Brazil national team. He was also named the 2012 South American Footballer of the Year, solidifying his stature as the most promising talent at that time.
However, it was in 2011 when the top European clubs started monitoring him closely. Spanish giants Real Madrid and English side Chelseahad a strong interest in signing Neymar in the upcoming days. But it was FC Barcelona who secured the signing of Neymar in 2013, paying a mammoth transfer package of €88 million to Santos.
Neymar's move to Barca was no less controversial, as revealed by football writers Alex Duff and Tariq Panja. In their book "Football’s Secret Trade", they revealed the thrilling backstory of Neymar's signing for Barcelona.
Although Real Madrid seemed to be Neymar's most likely destination to commence his European career, the Brazilian himself signed a pre-contract agreement with Barcelona to join them in the upcoming transfer window. Even his club Santos was kept in darkness about the agreement.
🇧🇷⭐️ 11 YEARS AGO TODAY: Neymar Jr was presented officially as a Barcelona player infront of 50,000+ people.
However, as the curtain was finally up, Neymar was officially presented to the fans in a jam-packed Camp Nou on June 3rd, 2013. The Brazilian was paired up with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, forming one of the greatest trios in football history, the 'MSN'.
Neymar played a huge part in Barcelona's UEFA Champions League winning campaign in 2014-15, scoring the highest season tally of 10 goals along with scoring the insurance goal in the final. That season, Neymar played a prominent part in Barcelona's treble-winning run as well, quoting himself as one of the best footballers at that moment.
The MSN trio also ended the season with a staggering 122 goals, the most in a season for an attacking trio in Spanish football history. Neymar registered 39 goals across all competitions.
MSN: Messi, Suarez and Neymar. (Image Credit | Eurosport)
However, the four years he played for Barcelona brought him plenty of personal honours and team accolades, but Neymar did not come close to winning the Ballon d'Or. After finishing in seventh place in 2014 and third place in 2015, Neymar did not have much to contest in the winner's debate.
La Remontada and the pathway to exit
Neymar in the Remontada game in 2017. (Image Credit | Eurosport)
Barcelona's historic 6-1 victory against Paris Saint-Germain in the UCL 2016-17 pre-quarterfinal second leg, which was termed as 'La Remontada', fuelled the fire of Neymar leaving Barcelona. After losing the first leg by 0-4 against the French opponent, Neymar made a comment that ignited the hope of the Barca fans.
Neymar wrote, "As long as there’s a 1% chance, we’ll have 99% faith" on his socials following the 0-4 crushing in Paris. The Brazilian went on to keep his word, orchestrating the Barcelona attacks for the whole game while also scoring two goals and providing one assist to the sixth goal that won Barcelona the game.
🚨🚨 ¡OJO! NEYMAR, sobre la REMONTADA del BARÇA al PSG en 2017: "Lo RECORDARÉ el RESTO de MI VIDA". pic.twitter.com/HV0oO5ejG6
However, even after Neymar rescued the team from a distressing situation, it was an iconic image of Lionel Messi leaping with the fans that made the headlines as well became the image of the game. Since this time, Neymar reportedly felt the urge to get out of the stature of Lionel Messi.
Neymar's decision to leave Barcelona and join Paris Saint-Germain was not only driven by his desire to emerge from Messi's shadow but also to embrace the opportunity to shine as the sole star player, bolstering his path to winning the Ballon d'Or.
PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Neymar in 2017. (Image Credit | the Guardian)
PSG completed a huge €222 million transfer to rope in Neymar, marking this as the most expensive transfer of all time to date. Although the relationship between him and Barcelona fans was damaged after his unexpected transfer to PSG, Neymar took the center-stage at the French club, leading the side from the front.
However, what was naturally expected to be a cakewalk; turned into a rocky road for Neymar. Frequent injuries and several legal scrutinies made his stint at the Parisian club full of ups and downs. He accumulated 77 goals and 49 assists in 173 matches for PSG, but only came close to winning the Champions League in 2020, but lost to Bayern Munich in the final.
Sadly, after leaving Barcelona, Neymar never made it to the Ballon d'Or top ten, let alone winning it. His brawls with his PSG teammates from time to time made his stay at PSG tumultuous, and he ultimately failed to justify the price tag. Across his six-year stint at PSG, Neymar missed 119 games in total due to injuries.
Although he rejoined Lionel Messi at PSG in 2021 and formed the trident of MNM along with another superstar, Kylian Mbappe, the trio also failed to live up to the expectations.
The relationship between Neymar, PSG, and PSG fans completely broke down after he suffered another injury in March 2023 as the supporters demanded the departure of Neymar in various on-street protests.
❗️Understand that #Neymar is on the sale‘s list of #PSG this summer. It’s a question of the price now as @PSG_inside is prepared for his departure.
➡️ Ramos deal done soon ✔️ ➡️ Kolo Muani & Dembele, PSG ist pushing for both players!
Neymar's official Al-Hilal presentation. (Image Credit | X)
PSG management finally ran out of patience and decided to sell Neymar in August 2023, informing him that he was not in the overhaul plan for them.
Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal paid a lucrative two-year contract to the Brazilian as he signed for them on a transfer fee of €90 million, making him the most expensive purchase in theSaudi Pro League.
Just two months after signing, he suffered a devastating ACL injury while representing Brazil in a World Cup qualifier. After several months of recovery, he returned to action in late 2024 but was quickly sidelined again due to a hamstring injury.
Overall, he made only seven appearances for the Saudi club, scoring just once in an AFC Champions League match against Nassaji Mazandaran. These injuries, combined with fitness concerns, led to mutual frustration as Al-Hilal have officially announced the termination of the contract after almost two years after the star signing.
Neymar has reportedly agreed to a significant salary reduction to join Santos, forfeiting approximately €62 million in remaining wages.
🚨💣 Neymar Jr back to Santos, story confirmed and HERE WE GO! ⚪️⚫️🇧🇷
Al Hilal have terminated Ney’s contract with immediate effect as the Brazilian will now travel for medical and sign in as new Santos player.
What could have been a storied career, drifted into a career studded with unexpected ups and downs, frequent injury concerns, and devastating failures. The question still lingers for football fans, what if Neymar had not left Barcelona or taken his decisions otherwise?
Neymar Jr, the 32-year-old man, is returning to his roots with the tag that will surely pain him for a lifetime that he is the greatest footballer who failed to fully capitalize on his immense potential. He still has a significant time left for his upcoming club and the Brazil national team to turn the tables, but the years have termed him as football's greatest "Could Have Been."
Greatest football XI of all-time: Lamine Yamal keeps Ronaldo, Messi and Neymar in his team
Teenage football star Lamine Yamal created his greatest football XI of all time, which had legends like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and four Spanish team greats.
Lamine Yamal just created his greatest football XI of all time with Real Madrid and Barcelona legends like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The recently turned 18 year old teenage star has been one of the best footballers in the world currently from two seasons.
The Spaniard had a Ballon d'Or 2025 worthy season with FC Barcelona as he helped the Catalan club regain La Liga and win a domestic treble. Not only that, he was super influential in Spain winning the Euro 2024 as he was named the best young player of the tournament.
The La Masia product has recently signed a groundbreaking contract with FC Barcelona till 2031. Moreover you will be wearing the famous No. 10 jersey of Lionel Messi from 2025-26 season.
Yamal made an appearance on China Media Group's "Total Soccer" program and he was asked to create his greatest football XI of all-time. The youngster made an scintillating attack consisting Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentine great Lionel Messi. Not only that he had four Spain legends in his lineup as most of his XI players are from La Liga giants FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
With more than 400 clean sheets in his entire career Iker Casillas is one of the greatest goalkeepers of the modern football. The Spaniard was not only athletic but was brave in making decisions while pulling up some great saves for Real Madrid and the Spanish national team.
Iker Casillas is the player with second most apperances for Los Blancos and led them to many titles in his career. Not only that as he was as much a key player for Spain as he led the La Roja to their first major trophy in 44 years when they won the Euro 2008. Casillas had only conecced two goals in that entire tournameent.
Casillas won 23 major trophies in his career which includes 3 UEFA Champions League, 2 European Championships, 5 La Liga titles, and a FIFA World Cup.
Level
Team / Category
Appearances
Goals Conceded
Clean Sheets
Club
Real Madrid
725
751
264
FC Porto
156
116
74
Real Madrid B
4
2
2
Club Career Total
885
869
340
International
Total International Career
167
102
93
Total Career
Club + International
1,052
971
433
Right-Back
Dani Alves
Image | FC Barcelona
43 career trophies, the second most in football history, trophies across Europe, 280 goal contributions as a right-back and countless brave tackles, Dani Alves is surely one of the greats of the game.
Although the Brazilian ended his career with bitter sweet experiences and cotroveries, no one can deny his ceredbilty as a footballer.
Alves won 43 trophies in career, which had 3 Champions Leagues with FC Barcelona and 9 League titles across three leagues along with one Olympic title with Brazil.
Here comes the two of the greatest center-backs of the modern era. Both defenders were part of the Golden generation of Spanish football where they won back-to-back three international trophies from 2008 to 2012.
Pique, who won 39 trophies for FC Barcelona, Manchester United and Spain, had a stellar career as a defender. The FC Barcelona legend won four Champions League titles along with 9 La Liga titles, which makes him one of the most successful defenders of all-time.
Pique's stats
Level
Team / Category
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Club
Barcelona
616
53
13
Real Zaragoza
28
3
-
Manchester United
23
2
1
Club Career Total
667
58
14
International
Spain
102
5
2
Total Career
Club + International
769
63
16
Meantime, Ramos who is one of highest scoring defenders in football history is known for his performances in clutch moments. Moreover, he was crucial for Real Madrid as a leader and defender while winning four Champions League for them.
Ramo's stats
Level
Team / Category
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Club
Real Madrid
671
101
40
Sevilla FC
87
10
1
Paris SG
58
6
1
Monterrey
15
5
-
Club Career Total
831
122
42
International
Spain
180
23
8
Total Career
Club + International
1,011
145
50
Left-back
Marcelo
Marcelo, the Brazilian defender is one of the most loved players of the modern era. Quoted by Cristiano Ronaldo as the one of the best players he has played with, the Real Madrid legend won 5 Champions League titles and 6 La Liga, all for the Los Blancos.
Marcelo played 546 games for Real Madrid while having 58 appearences for Brazil.
Level
Team / Category
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Club
Real Madrid
546
38
103
Fluminense
107
11
5
Olympiacos
10
3
-
Club Career Total
663
52
108
International
Brazil
58
6
11
Total Career
Club + International
721
58
119
Attacking mid-field
Zinedine Zidane
Image | Football Espana
Now if we are talking about class, clutch moments, flair and midfield greatness, you will have to have Zinedine Zidane in your playing XI. Lamine Yamal thus had the French and Real Madrid great in his playing XI.
Zidane, the 1998 Ballon d'Or winner with Juventus, helped Franch win the 1998 FIFA World Cup. In total he won 16 major trophies in his career.
Zidane formed a teriffic mid-field in that Galactico team in the mid 2000s with Luis Figo, Ronaldo Nazario, David Beckham and Roberto Carlos. His peformance in big moments influenced Yamal chose over Barcelona legends like Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets in his greatest football XI.
Zidane won only Champions League title, in which he scored in the final, against Bayer Leverkusen in 2002.
Probbaly the greatest showstopper of the modern football, Neymar Jr., formed one of the greatest trios of football alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
The Brazilian's dribbling skill had made him one of the biggest attackers in the world which made PSG sign him for a controversial record fee of £200m. Neymar scored the most goals for his country, Brazil while raking up goals for teams like FC Barcelona, PSG and Santos.
The greatest playmaker in football history, Lionel Messi was a no-brainer in Lamine Yamal's greatest football XI of all-time. With 46 trophies, Messi is the player with most trophies in football history. Moreover, the Agrentine is the player with most goal contributions in football history.
El calendario solidario de la @FundacioFCB 2008 en colaboración con @sport protagonizado por Leo Messi, Lamine Yamal y otros jugadores del primer equipo. 🤩
Una acción social para recaudar fondos para UNICEF y para los programas de protección de la infancia de la Fundación Barça… pic.twitter.com/PHqBhEYGaT
The 8-time Ballon d'Or winner, just like Lamine Yamal himself, was a La Masia product. Not only that, he was the one who had early connection with Yamal, in a once-in-a-generation photos for UNESCO, where Messi was seen holding a toddler Lamine Yamal.
Messi, who has the record of most non-penalty goals in 21st century, scored the most goals for FC Barcelona and Argentina and surely will be there in everyone's all-time football XI.
Level
Team / Category
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Club
Barcelona
778
672
303
Paris SG
75
32
35
Miami
68
58
26
Club Career Total
921
762
364
International
Argentina
193
112
61
Total Career
Club + International
1,114
874
425
Right Wing
Ronaldinho
Image | FC Barcelona
Ronaldinho's presence on the right wing proves how much Lamine Yamal is influenced with Brazilian style of football. Ronaldinho, the 2005 Ballon d'Or winner was one of the most eye-catching footballers of his time.
The former FC Barcelona legend had the flair, style and skill which made even the opponents appreciate him.
However his off-field life shoretned his carrer, which could have become more legendary. He won 11 major trophies including one Champions League and one FIFA World Cup.
The greatest goalscorer of the world with 938 goals and counting for his clubs and country combined, is a must in any World XI. Ronaldo, who started as a winger at Manchester United, became a goal scoring machine at Real Madrid.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has won 36 major trophies in his career, including 5 Champions League titles and one European Championships.
Ronaldo's pace, agression, and will to score goal is an asset for any team and looks like Yamal knows that too.
Level
Team / Category
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Club
Real Madrid
438
450
131
Manchester United
346
145
64
Juventus
134
101
22
Al-Nassr
105
93
19
Sporting CP
31
5
6
Club Career Total
1,060
800
242
International
Portugal
221
138
45
International Career Total
221
138
–
Total Career
1,275
938
287
Striker
Ronaldo Nazario
Image | FC Barcelona
Now, here is the ultimate striker. The finishing skill, goal scoring ability, flair, agression, shooting and the ball control - all of these makes Ronaldo Nazario the ultimate striker.
The two-time Ballon d'Or winner is the youngest winner of the award, when he won it in 1997 while playing for Inter Milan, after a successful 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Ronaldo won 18 major trophies in his career and is the only player on this list two have played for both Ral Madrid and FC Barcelona. However, he is the only player not to win the Champions League which he has compensted by winning two FIFA World Cup titles.
Top 12 players with most hat-tricks in football in the 21st century
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored the most hat-tricks in football in the 21st century. Here are the top 12 players with most hat-tricks in football in the 21st century.
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
Aguero has scored a record 12 Premier League hat-tricks. Image | mancity.com
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.
Competition
Club
Date
Match
Goals
LaLiga
Atlético de Madrid
May 21, 2011
RCD Mallorca 3–4 Atlético de Madrid
3
Premier League
Manchester City
Sep 10, 2011
Man City 3–0 Wigan Athletic
3
FA Cup
Manchester City
Jan 25, 2014
Man City 4–2 Watford FC
3
Premier League
Manchester City
Oct 18, 2014
Man City 4–1 Tottenham Hotspur
4
UEFA Champions League
Manchester City
Nov 25, 2014
Man City 3–2 Bayern Munich
3
Premier League
Manchester City
May 10, 2015
Man City 6–0 Queens Park Rangers
3
International Friendlies
Argentina
Jun 7, 2015
Argentina 5–0 Bolivia
3
Premier League
Manchester City
Oct 3, 2015
Man City 6–1 Newcastle United
5
Premier League
Manchester City
Apr 16, 2016
Chelsea FC 0–3 Man City
3
UEFA Champions League Qualifying
Manchester City
Aug 16, 2016
Steaua Bucharest 0–5 Man City
3
UEFA Champions League
Manchester City
Sep 14, 2016
Man City 4–0 Borussia Mönchengladbach
3
Premier League
Manchester City
Sep 16, 2017
Watford FC 0–6 Man City
3
Premier League
Manchester City
Jan 20, 2018
Man City 3–1 Newcastle United
3
Premier League
Manchester City
Feb 10, 2018
Man City 5–1 Leicester City
4
Premier League
Manchester City
Aug 19, 2018
Man City 6–1 Huddersfield Town
3
Premier League
Manchester City
Feb 3, 2019
Man City 3–1 Arsenal FC
3
Premier League
Manchester City
Feb 10, 2019
Man City 6–0 Chelsea FC
3
Premier League
Manchester City
Jan 12, 2020
Aston Villa 1–6 Man City
3
11. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar | 18
Huntelaar scored 8 hat-tricks for Schalke. Image | uefa.com
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.
Gomez after scoring his 11th Bundesliga hat-trick. Image | uefa.com
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.
Competition
Club
Date
Match
Goals
1.Bundesliga
VfB Stuttgart
Mar 8, 2008
VfB Stuttgart 6–3 Werder Bremen
3
DFB-Pokal
VfB Stuttgart
Jan 30, 2008
Werder Bremen II 2–3 VfB Stuttgart
3
1.Bundesliga
VfB Stuttgart
Apr 18, 2009
1.FC Köln 0–3 VfB Stuttgart
3
1.Bundesliga
VfB Stuttgart
May 9, 2009
VfB Stuttgart 4–1 Wolfsburg
4
International Friendlies
Germany
Jun 2, 2009
UAE 2–7 Germany
4
1.Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Dec 19, 2010
VfB Stuttgart 3–5 Bayern Munich
3
UEFA Champions League
Bayern Munich
Nov 3, 2010
CFR Cluj 0–4 Bayern Munich
3
1.Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Oct 16, 2010
Bayern Munich 3–0 Hannover 96
3
1.Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Jan 22, 2011
Bayern Munich 5–1 Kaiserslautern
3
1.Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Apr 17, 2011
Bayern Munich 5–1 Leverkusen
3
1.Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
May 7, 2011
St. Pauli 1–8 Bayern Munich
3
1.Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Aug 27, 2011
Kaiserslautern 0–3 Bayern Munich
3
1.Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Sep 10, 2011
Bayern Munich 7–0 SC Freiburg
4
UEFA Champions League
Bayern Munich
Nov 2, 2011
Bayern Munich 3–2 Napoli
3
1.Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Mar 10, 2012
Bayern Munich 7–1 Hoffenheim
3
UEFA Champions League
Bayern Munich
Mar 13, 2012
Bayern Munich 7–0 Basel
4
DFB-Pokal
Bayern Munich
Apr 16, 2013
Bayern Munich 6–1 Wolfsburg
3
1.Bundesliga
VfL Wolfsburg
Apr 2, 2017
Leverkusen 3–3 Wolfsburg
3
#9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 20
Ibra scored 10 hat-tricks for PSG. Image | PSG on X.
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.
Zlatan scored 20 hat-tricks in his career, among which half were for PSG. He scored four hat-tricks for his country, Sweden.
Competition
Club
Date
Match
Goals
Assists
Minutes
World Cup qualification Europe
Sweden
Sep 4, 2004
Malta 0–7 Sweden
4
–
90'
Serie A
Juventus FC
Apr 17, 2005
Juventus 5–2 Lecce
3
–
90'
European Qualifiers
Sweden
Jun 7, 2011
Sweden 5–0 Finland
3
1
66'
International Friendlies
Sweden
Nov 14, 2012
Sweden 4–2 England
4
–
90'
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Dec 11, 2012
Valenciennes 0–4 PSG
3
–
90'
UEFA Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain
Oct 23, 2013
Anderlecht 0–5 PSG
4
–
90'
International Friendlies
Sweden
Aug 14, 2013
Sweden 4–2 Norway
3
–
90'
Coupe de France
Paris Saint-Germain
Jan 8, 2014
Brest 2–5 PSG
3
1
63'
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Feb 23, 2014
Toulouse 2–4 PSG
3
–
90'
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Aug 31, 2014
PSG 5–0 AS Saint-Étienne
3
–
73'
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Mar 20, 2015
PSG 3–1 Lorient
3
1
90'
Coupe de France
Paris Saint-Germain
Apr 8, 2015
PSG 4–1 AS Saint-Étienne
3
–
90'
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Mar 13, 2016
Troyes 0–9 PSG
4
1
90'
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Apr 2, 2016
PSG 4–1 Nice
3
–
90'
UEFA Europa League
Manchester United
Feb 16, 2017
Man Utd 3–0 AS Saint-Étienne
3
1
90'
Major League Soccer
LA Galaxy
Jul 30, 2018
LA Galaxy 4–3 Orlando City
3
1
90'
Major League Soccer
LA Galaxy
Jul 20, 2019
LA Galaxy 3–2 Los Angeles FC
3
–
90'
Major League Soccer
LA Galaxy
Sep 16, 2019
LA Galaxy 7–2 Sporting Kansas City
3
–
90
#8 Neymar | 21
Neymar scored four hat-tricks for Barcelona. Image | fcbarcelona.com
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.
Competition
Club
Date
Match
Goals
Assists
Minutes
Campeonato Paulista
Santos FC
Feb 10, 2012
Botafogo FC 1–4 Santos FC
3
–
90'
Copa Libertadores
Santos FC
Mar 7, 2012
Santos FC 3–1 Internacional
3
–
90'
Campeonato Paulista
Santos FC
Mar 30, 2012
Santos FC 5–0 Guaratinguetá
3
–
90'
Campeonato Paulista (Fase final)
Santos FC
Apr 29, 2012
São Paulo FC 1–3 Santos FC
3
–
90'
International Friendlies
Brazil
Sep 11, 2012
Brazil 8–0 China
3
–
72'
UEFA Champions League
FC Barcelona
Dec 11, 2013
Barcelona 6–1 Celtic
3
1
81'
International Friendlies
Brazil
Mar 5, 2014
South Africa 0–5 Brazil
3
–
90'
International Friendlies
Brazil
Oct 14, 2014
Brazil 4–0 Japan
4
–
90'
LaLiga
FC Barcelona
Sep 27, 2014
Barcelona 6–0 Granada
3
–
90'
Copa do Brasil
Santos FC
Apr 15, 2010
Santos FC 8–1 Guarani
5
–
90'
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Santos FC
Nov 21, 2010
Goiás EC 1–4 Santos FC
3
2
90'
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Santos FC
Oct 29, 2011
Santos FC 4–1 Atlético Paranaense
4
1
90'
Campeonato Brasileiro Série A
Santos FC
Nov 3, 2012
Cruzeiro 0–4 Santos FC
3
1
90'
Campeonato Paulista
Santos FC
Apr 13, 2013
União Barbarense 0–4 Santos FC
4
–
90'
UEFA Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain
Oct 3, 2018
PSG 6–1 Red Star Belgrade
3
–
82'
UEFA Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain
Dec 9, 2020
PSG 5–1 Başakşehir
3
1
90'
World Cup Qual. South America
Brazil
Oct 14, 2020
Peru 2–4 Brazil
3
2
90'
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Jan 17, 2018
PSG 8–0 Dijon
4
2
90'
LaLiga
FC Barcelona
May 14, 2017
Las Palmas 1–4 Barcelona
3
1
90'
LaLiga
FC Barcelona
Oct 17, 2015
Barcelona 5–2 Rayo Vallecano
4
3
90'
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Apr 9, 2022
Clermont 1–6 PSG
3
1
90'
#7 Kylian Mbappe | 22
Mbappe till now has scored 3 hat-tricks for Real Madrid. Image | Real Madrid on X
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.
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).
Competition
Club
Date
Match
Goals
Coupe de la Ligue
AS Monaco
Dec 14, 2016
AS Monaco 7–0 Stade Rennais FC
3
Ligue 1
AS Monaco
Feb 11, 2017
AS Monaco 5–0 FC Metz
3
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Oct 7, 2018
PSG 5–0 Olympique Lyon
4
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Jan 19, 2019
PSG 9–0 EA Guingamp
3
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Apr 21, 2019
PSG 3–1 AS Monaco
3
UEFA Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain
Oct 22, 2019
Club Brugge 0–5 PSG
3
Coupe de France
Paris Saint-Germain
Mar 4, 2020
Olympique Lyon 1–5 PSG
3
UEFA Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain
Feb 16, 2021
FC Barcelona 1–4 PSG
3
Coupe de France
Paris Saint-Germain
Jan 3, 2022
Vannes OC 0–4 PSG
3
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
May 21, 2022
PSG 5–0 FC Metz
3
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Aug 21, 2022
Lille 1–7 PSG
3
World Cup 2022
France
Dec 18, 2022
Argentina 7–5 pens France
3
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Apr 9, 2022
Clermont Foot 1–6 PSG
3
Coupe de France
Paris Saint-Germain
Jan 23, 2023
Pays de Cassel 0–7 PSG
5
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Nov 11, 2023
Reims 0–3 PSG
3
European Qualifiers
France
Nov 18, 2023
France 14–0 Gibraltar
3
Coupe de France
Paris Saint-Germain
Jan 7, 2024
US Revel 0–9 PSG
3
Ligue 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Mar 17, 2024
Montpellier 2–6 PSG
3
UEFA Champions League
Real Madrid
Feb 19, 2025
Real Madrid 3–1 Manchester City
3
LaLiga
Real Madrid
Jan 25, 2025
Real Valladolid 0–3 Real Madrid
3
LaLiga
Real Madrid
May 11, 2025
FC Barcelona 4–3 Real Madrid
3
#6 Erling Haaland | 25
In just two seasons, Haaland has already scored 8 Premier League hat-tricks. Image | premierleague.com
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.
Harry Kane has already scored 8 hat-tricks for FC Bayern Munich. Image | FCBayern on X
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.
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.
Suarez scored 12 hat-tricks for FC Barcelona. Image | FC Barcelona on X.
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.
Lewandowski has scored three hat-tricks for FC Barcelona. Image | FC Barcelona on X
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.
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.
Competition
Club/National Team
Date
Match
Goals
Fortuna 1 Liga
Znicz Pruszkow
Sep 19, 2007
Znicz Pruszkow 4–2 GKS Jastrzebie
3
Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund
Oct 1, 2011
Dortmund 4–0 Augsburg
3
DFB-Pokal
Borussia Dortmund
May 12, 2012
Dortmund 5–2 Bayern Munich
3
UEFA Champions League
Borussia Dortmund
Apr 24, 2013
Dortmund 4–1 Real Madrid
4
Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund
Nov 1, 2013
Dortmund 6–1 Stuttgart
3
Euro Qualifiers
Poland
Sep 7, 2014
Gibraltar 0–7 Poland
4
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Sep 22, 2015
Bayern 5–1 Wolfsburg
5
UEFA Champions League
Bayern Munich
Sep 29, 2015
Bayern 5–0 Dinamo Zagreb
3
Euro Qualifiers
Poland
Jun 13, 2015
Poland 4–0 Georgia
3
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Aug 26, 2016
Bayern 6–0 Werder Bremen
3
DFB-Pokal
Bayern Munich
Aug 19, 2016
Carl Zeiss Jena 0–5 Bayern
3
World Cup Qualifiers
Poland
Oct 8, 2016
Poland 3–2 Denmark
3
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Feb 25, 2017
Bayern 8–0 Hamburg
3
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Apr 1, 2017
Bayern 6–0 Augsburg
3
World Cup Qualifiers
Poland
Jun 10, 2017
Poland 3–1 Romania
3
World Cup Qualifiers
Poland
Oct 5, 2017
Armenia 1–6 Poland
3
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Mar 10, 2018
Bayern 6–0 Hamburg
3
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Mar 31, 2018
Bayern 6–0 Dortmund
3
DFL-Supercup
Bayern Munich
Aug 12, 2018
Frankfurt 0–5 Bayern
3
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Aug 24, 2019
Schalke 0–3 Bayern
3
Euro Qualifiers
Poland
Oct 10, 2019
Latvia 0–3 Poland
3
UEFA Champions League
Bayern Munich
Nov 26, 2019
Red Star Belgrade 0–6 Bayern
4
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Oct 4, 2020
Bayern 4–3 Hertha BSC
4
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Oct 24, 2020
Bayern 5–0 Eintracht Frankfurt
3
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Mar 6, 2021
Bayern 4–2 Dortmund
3
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Mar 20, 2021
Bayern 4–0 Stuttgart
3
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
May 8, 2021
Bayern 6–0 Gladbach
3
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Aug 28, 2021
Bayern 5–0 Hertha
3
UEFA Champions League
Bayern Munich
Nov 2, 2021
Bayern 5–2 Benfica
3
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich
Jan 15, 2022
Köln 0–4 Bayern
3
UEFA Champions League
Bayern Munich
Mar 8, 2022
Bayern 7–1 Salzburg
3
UEFA Champions League
FC Barcelona
Sep 7, 2022
Barcelona 5–1 Viktoria Plzen
3
LaLiga
FC Barcelona
Apr 29, 2024
Barcelona 4–2 Valencia
3
LaLiga
FC Barcelona
Oct 6, 2024
Alavés 0–3 Barcelona
3
#2 Lionel Messi | 59
Messi scored most non-penalty hat-tricks in football history.
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.
Date
Team
Opponent
Score
Competition
Goals
Pens
10/03/2007
Barcelona
Real Madrid
3-3
La Liga
3
0
06/01/2009
Barcelona
Atlético Madrid
3-1
Copa del Rey
3
1
10/01/2010
Barcelona
Tenerife
5-0
La Liga
3
0
14/03/2010
Barcelona
Valencia
3-0
La Liga
3
0
21/03/2010
Barcelona
Real Zaragoza
4-2
La Liga
3
0
06/04/2010
Barcelona
Arsenal
4-1
Champions League
4
0
21/08/2010
Barcelona
Sevilla
4-0
Supercopa de España
3
0
20/11/2010
Barcelona
Almería
8-0
La Liga
3
0
12/01/2011
Barcelona
Real Betis
5-0
Copa del Rey
3
0
05/02/2011
Barcelona
Atlético Madrid
3-0
La Liga
3
0
17/09/2011
Barcelona
Osasuna
8-0
La Liga
3
0
24/09/2011
Barcelona
Atlético Madrid
5-0
La Liga
3
0
29/10/2011
Barcelona
Mallorca
5-0
La Liga
3
1
01/11/2011
Barcelona
Viktoria Plzen
4-0
Champions League
3
1
22/01/2012
Barcelona
Málaga
4-1
La Liga
3
0
19/02/2012
Barcelona
Valencia
5-1
La Liga
4
0
29/02/2012
Argentina
Switzerland
3-1
Friendly
3
1
07/03/2012
Barcelona
Bayer Leverkusen
7-1
Champions League
5
0
20/03/2012
Barcelona
Granada
5-3
La Liga
3
0
02/05/2012
Barcelona
Málaga
4-1
La Liga
3
2
05/05/2012
Barcelona
Espanyol
4-0
La Liga
4
2
09/06/2012
Argentina
Brazil
4-3
Friendly
3
0
20/10/2012
Barcelona
Deportivo La Coruña
5-4
La Liga
3
0
27/01/2013
Barcelona
Osasuna
5-1
La Liga
4
1
15/06/2013
Argentina
Guatemala
4-0
Friendly
3
1
01/09/2013
Barcelona
Valencia
3-2
La Liga
3
0
18/09/2013
Barcelona
Ajax
4-0
Champions League
3
0
16/03/2014
Barcelona
Osasuna
7-0
La Liga
3
0
23/03/2014
Barcelona
Real Madrid
4-3
La Liga
3
2
22/11/2014
Barcelona
Sevilla
5-1
La Liga
3
0
25/11/2014
Barcelona
APOEL
4-0
Champions League
3
0
07/12/2014
Barcelona
Espanyol
5-1
La Liga
3
0
18/01/2015
Barcelona
Deportivo La Coruña
4-0
La Liga
3
0
15/02/2015
Barcelona
Levante
5-0
La Liga
3
1
08/03/2015
Barcelona
Rayo Vallecano
6-1
La Liga
3
1
09/01/2016
Barcelona
Granada
4-0
La Liga
3
0
03/02/2016
Barcelona
Valencia
7-0
Copa del Rey
3
0
03/03/2016
Barcelona
Rayo Vallecano
5-1
La Liga
3
0
11/06/2016
Argentina
Panama
5-0
Copa América
3
0
13/09/2016
Barcelona
Celtic
7-0
Champions League
3
0
19/10/2016
Barcelona
Manchester City
4-0
Champions League
3
0
09/09/2017
Barcelona
Espanyol
5-0
La Liga
3
0
19/09/2017
Barcelona
Eibar
6-1
La Liga
4
1
11/10/2017
Argentina
Ecuador
3-1
World Cup Qualifier
3
0
07/04/2018
Barcelona
Leganés
3-1
La Liga
3
0
29/04/2018
Barcelona
Deportivo La Coruña
4-2
La Liga
3
0
30/05/2018
Argentina
Haiti
4-0
Friendly
3
1
18/09/2018
Barcelona
PSV
4-0
Champions League
3
0
16/12/2018
Barcelona
Levante
5-0
La Liga
3
0
23/02/2019
Barcelona
Sevilla
4-2
La Liga
3
0
17/03/2019
Barcelona
Real Betis
4-1
La Liga
3
0
09/11/2019
Barcelona
Celta Vigo
4-1
La Liga
3
1
07/12/2019
Barcelona
Mallorca
5-2
La Liga
3
0
22/02/2020
Barcelona
Eibar
5-0
La Liga
4
0
10/09/2021
Argentina
Bolivia
3-0
World Cup Qualifier
3
0
05/06/2022
Argentina
Estonia
5-0
Friendly
5
1
28/03/2023
Argentina
Curaçao
7-0
Friendly
3
0
15/10/2024
Argentina
Bolivia
6-0
World Cup Qualifier
3
0
19/10/2024
Inter Miami
New England
6-2
MLS
3
0
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo | 66
Ronaldo scored a record 44 hat-tricks for Real Madrid.
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.
FIFA Club World Cup: Past Winners, Top Scores, Most Successful teams
From champions to individual dominance, get the ultimate guide to the FIFA Club World Cup's history. Dive into a complete list of past winners, top scorers, most successful teams in this prestigious global tournament.
What does it truly mean to be a world champion club? The FIFA Club World Cup provides the answer, pitting the best against one another in a quest for global dominance.
As the 21st edition of Club World Cup concluded with Chelsea lifting the title after a dominating 3-0 victory over PSG, it is time to look back at the history of this tournament.
This article will explore all the past winners, top scorers, most successful teams, all at once.
FIFA Club World Cup: Past Winners
Chelsea FC celebrating their 2025 FIFA CWC win. Image | AP News
The FIFA Club World Cup, a tournament designed to crown the world's best club team, first took place in 2000. It then paused for several years, from 2001 through 2004, before returning as an annual event.
Now, 2025 marked the beginning of an entirely new era for the Club World Cup, featuring an expanded format and a fresh vision for global club football. Chelsea FC, with an incredibly successful campaign, stood victorious in this format.
Check out the past winners list below:
Year
Host
Winner
Score
Runners-up
2000
Brazil
Corinthians
0-0
(4-3 p)
Vasco da Gama
2005
Japan
Sao Paulo
1-0
Liverpool
2006
Japan
Internacional
1-0
Barcelona
2007
Japan
AC Milan
4-2
Boca Juniors
2008
Japan
Manchester United
1-0
LDU Quito
2009
United Arab Emirates
Barcelona
2-1
Estudiantes
2010
United Arab Emirates
Inter Milan
3-0
TP Mazembe
2011
Japan
Barcelona
4-0
Santos
2012
Japan
Corinthians
1-0
Chelsea
2013
Morocco
Bayern Munich
2-0
Raja CA
2014
Morocco
Real Madrid
2-0
San Lorenzo
2015
Japan
Barcelona
3-0
River Plate
2016
Japan
Real Madrid
4-2
Kashima Antlers
2017
United Arab Emirates
Real Madrid
1-0
Gremio
2018
United Arab Emirates
Real Madrid
4-1
Al-Ain
2019
Qatar
Liverpool
1-0
Flamengo
2020
Qatar
Bayern Munich
1-0
UANL
2021
United Arab Emirates
Chelsea
2-1
Palmeiras
2022
Morocco
Real Madrid
5-3
Al-Hilal
2023
Saudi Arabia
Manchester City
4-0
Fluminense
2025
United States
Chelsea
3-0
Paris Saint-Germain
FIFA Club World Cup: Top Scorers
Cristiano Ronaldo with FIFA CWC Golden Boot in 2016. Image | Eurosport
Here comes the elite list where individual dominance shines:
Player
Position
Teams
Seasons
Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo
Centre-Forward
Manchester United, Real Madrid
4
7
Karim Benzema
Centre-Forward
Real Madrid, Al-Ittihad
6
6
Luis Suarez
Centre-Forward
Barcelona, Inter Miami
2
6
Lionel Messi
Right Winger
Barcelona, Inter Miami
4
6
Gareth Bale
Right Winger
Real Madrid
3
6
Salem Al-Dawsari
Left Winger
Al-Hilal SFC
4
5
Cesar Delgado
Right Winger
CF Monterrey
3
5
Federico Valverde
Central Midfield
Real Madrid
3
5
FIFA Club World Cup: Most Successful Teams
Real Madrid celebrating their 5th CWC win in 2022. Image | ESPN India
Real Madrid holds the tag of most successful team in FIFA Club World Cup history with 5 titles. Check out the other clubs that follow:
Chelsea vs PSG, FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final: Chelsea thrash PSG 3-0 to win Club World Cup 2025
Cole Palmer scored a brace while Joao Pedro scored once to help Chelsea FC beat PSG by 3-0 to clinch the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 title at MetLife Stadium.
Hello and welcome, everyone, to our final LIVE coverage of the 2024-25 football season. Tonight we have the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final between English club Chelsea FC and French Champion, PSG.
Chelsea, the Premier League giants, reached the final after beating two Brazilian sides, Fluminense and Palmeiras, in the knockouts.
Meanwhile, the current Champions League winners, PSG, reached the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final by smashing European giants like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
Chelsea are looking for their second trophy of the season after winning the UEFA Conference League. Meantime, PSG are looking for their fourth major trophy of the season, including the UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1 titles.
So, sit back and relax as I, Koushik Biswas, bring you all the LIVE updates of the Chelsea vs PSG, FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final, LIVE from Sportz Point's Web Desk.
LIVE Updates
Jul 13, 2025, 9:34 PM
Special badge!
🚨🔵 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 | Chelsea will now have an exclusive FIFA World Champions Badge on their kit until 2029. 👑👏 pic.twitter.com/ld8mn8YxIC
Enzo Maresca forced to play peacemaker at full-time after a brawl involving Gianluigi Donnarumma. Luis Enrique also involved in the melee. pic.twitter.com/QyAT6rvBSc
Barcola's attempted effort from the left was easily grabbed by Sanchez.
Jul 13, 2025, 9:00 PM
82' | Yellow card
Yellow card for Colwill.
Jul 13, 2025, 8:59 PM
80' | Another big save from Donnarumma
Delap found the better of Berlado and then wanted to go past Donnarumma. However, Donnarumma was clever her to block his second path and make the save.
Jul 13, 2025, 8:56 PM
77' | Double change for Chelsea
Out: Pedro Neto, James
In: Nkunku, Dewsbury-Hall
Jul 13, 2025, 8:54 PM
75' | Chance for Zaïre-Emery
Zaïre-Emery did well to enter the box but he took it too deep to find the angle from the byline.
Jul 13, 2025, 8:52 PM
73' | Triple change for PSG
In: Ramos, Mayulu, Zaïre-Emery
Out: Hakimi, Ruiz, Doue.
Jul 13, 2025, 8:51 PM
Donnarumma's save!
WHAT A SAVE! Delap’s shot beaten away by Donnarumma’s brilliance. Save of the tournament?🔥
The first half in the Club World Cup final marked only the third time that Paris Saint-Germain conceded at least three goals in the first 43 minutes of a match since the start of the QSI ownership era in 2011.
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) July 13, 2025
Jul 13, 2025, 8:27 PM
48' | Chance for PSG
Kvaratskhelia's shot was partially saved by Sanchez. Before anyone from PSG could take advantage, Gusto cleared the ball.
Jul 13, 2025, 8:26 PM
47' | Good start from PSG
Nuno Mendes, down the line on the left, made a good run and tried to find Fabian Ruiz with a toe-pass.
But after a deflection, Sanchez was able to make the save.
Jul 13, 2025, 8:24 PM
Second half starts!
PSG start with their long kick style.
Jul 13, 2025, 8:22 PM
This half-time show has delayed kick-off to the second half. PSG have just been stood around for a few minutes. Chelsea - maybe smartly - haven't come out.
Doue and Dembele are linking up with Hakimi to build some momentum for PSG. Cucurella fould Doue, otherwise PSG could have gone for a good counter attack.
Starting XI: Robert Sánchez, Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Marc Cucurella, Reece James, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Cole Palmer, João Pedro.
Subs: Gabriel Słonina, Mike Penders, Filip Jørgensen, Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo, Aaron Anselmino, Mamadou Sarr, Roméo Lavia, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Andrey Santos, Tyrique George, Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Christopher Nkunku, Marc Guiu.
FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final: Chelsea vs PSG Match Preview, Head-to-head, Streaming Details and Possible Lineups
With Chelsea looking to win their second trophy of the season and PSG eyeing a quadruple season ending, we bring you everything about the Chelsea vs PSG, FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final.
We are now end of the 2024-25 football season as Chelsea get ready to face the UEFA Champions League winners PSG in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final tomorrow at Met Life Stadium in New York.
Chelsea, the Premier League giants, reached the final after beating two Brazilian sides, Fluminense and Palmeiras, in the knockouts. Meanwhile, the current Champions League winners, PSG, reached the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final by smashing European giants like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
So, with both teams looking in good form, we bring you everything you need to know about Chelsea vs PSG, the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final.
Match Details
Match: Chelsea vs PSG, the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final
Date: 14th July, 2025
Time: 12.30 am IST
Venue: MetLife Stadium, New York.
How to watch the Chelsea vs PSG, FIFA Club World Cup Final in India?
You can watch the Chelsea vs PSG, FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Final on the Dazn app and website, which are the official broadcasters of the tournament.
Moreover, in India, you can watch the match on the FanCode App and Website. On television, fans can watch the match on Eurosport TV channels.
The last time Chelsea faced PSG, Thiago Silva scored a winner for PSG. Image | Chelsea.com
Team
Wins
Draws
Matches
Chelsea
2
5
10
Paris Saint-Germain
3
5
10
Team News and Current Form
Both teams have looked their best in the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Enzo Maresca's Chelsea have been very attacking, while Luis Enrique's PSG have outsmarted every team in Europe.
Joao Pedro scored a stunning first-half goal for Chelsea in the FIFA Club World Cup semis. Image | Chelsea on X
Chelsea joined the tournament after winning the UEFA Conference League and ensuring their place in the UEFA Champions League 2025-26. Boosted with young talents at a high price, Maresca's young team has been a bit up and down throughout the season.
However, in the Club World Cup, they have shown good form, winning five matches from six to reach the final. Blues' new signing Joao Pedro showed how he can be the perfect solution to Chelsea's attacking issues, after scoring against his boyhood club Fluminense in the semis.
Chelsea players during their final training ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final vs PSG. Image | Chelsea.com
Despite finishing only second in Group D, Chelsea did not have to face any European giant in the knockouts before the final. So, Maresca will have to adapt to PSG's European style of play, and it will surely be a tough job for him.
The good news for the London-based club is that their star midfielder, Moises Caicedo, has recovered from his ankle injury and was seen during training. So, he will be available for selection.
But Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia will not be available due to muscular problems, along with Benoit Badiashile, who is also doubtful for the final. Noni Madueke is unlikely to play in between his transfer talks with Arsenal.
Recent form | Chelsea
Date
Competition
Opponent
Score
Result
09/07/25
FIFA Club World Cup
Fluminense
0-2
W
05/07/25
FIFA Club World Cup
Palmeiras
1-2
W
29/06/25
FIFA Club World Cup
Benfica
1-4
W
25/06/25
FIFA Club World Cup
Espérance Tunis
0-3
W
20/06/25
FIFA Club World Cup
Flamengo
3-1
L
PSG
Dembele and Hakimi celebrating a goal against Real Madrid. Image | PSG.fr
The current Ligue 1 and UEFA Champions League winners have been the best team in the world this season. They have gone past anyone who has come in front of them.
Luis Enrique's team has shown that even without a big name like Kylian Mbappe, you can win trophies with tactics, execution and passion.
PSG, just like their opponent Chelsea, have won five out of six games in the FIFA Club World Cup. They surprisingly lost against Botafogo in the group stage, and thus had to face teams like Bayern Munich and Real Madrid en route to the final.
PSG star Nuno Mendes during the training ahead of FIFA Club World Cup 2025 final against Chelsea. Image | PSG.fr
Against Bayern, they registered a 2-0 victory and then went on to smash Real Madrid 4-0 in the semis. Fabian Ruiz scored a brace and Ousmane Dembele scored, asisted and pre-assisted to announce he is ready to win the Ballon d'Or 2025.
Goncalo Ramos also scored during the dying minutes of the match.
In terms of injury news and availability, Willian Pacho and Lucas Hernandez will miss the final after receiving red cards in the quarters. Other than that, there are no injury concerns for them.
Recent Form | PSG
Date
Competition
Opponent
Score
Result
10/07/25
FIFA Club World Cup
Real Madrid
4-0
W
05/07/25
FIFA Club World Cup
FC Bayern München
2-0
W
29/06/25
FIFA Club World Cup
Inter Miami CF
4-0
W
24/06/25
FIFA Club World Cup
Seattle Sounders FC
0-2
W
20/06/25
FIFA Club World Cup
Botafogo
0-1
L
Chelsea vs PSG: Possible Lineups
Chelsea: R. Sánchez, M. Gusto, T. Chalobah, T. Adarabioyo, M. Cucurella, C. Palmer, M. Caicedo, E. Fernández, C. Nkunku, J. Pedro, P. Neto.