Which player has scored the most hat-tricks in La Liga history?

Lionel Messi has scored the most hat-tricks in La Liga history, with 36 for Barcelona. A La Liga hat-trick means scoring at least three goals in one league match, and Messi built this record during his extraordinary Barcelona career.

Messi’s closest challenger is Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored 34 La Liga hat-tricks for Real Madrid. The next historical names are Telmo Zarra with 23 and Alfredo Di Stéfano with 22, leaving Messi clearly ahead of both earlier Spanish-era legends.

Messi’s record includes eight hat-tricks in the 2011–12 season, a joint seasonal record with Ronaldo, who matched it in 2014–15. Messi’s final La Liga hat-trick came against Eibar on 22 February 2020, when he scored four goals.

A common mix-up is confusing La Liga hat-tricks with all-competition hat-tricks. This answer counts only Spain’s top division, not the Champions League, Copa del Rey, or international football.