It only takes a second to score a goal and occasionally, two or three arrive in quick succession.
And if a player can net twice within a short space of time, that sets up the opportunity for a rapid hat-trick.
Some have been scored in a matter of minutes, others in just over 60 seconds.
From the Premier League to the international game and non-league football, here is a look at some of the fastest trebles in the history of the men's game...
17. Bebeto (Deportivo La Coruña vs Albacete)
Former Brazil striker Bebeto racked up 100 goals in 150 appearances in just four seasons at Deportivo La Coruña between 1992 and 1996.
The World Cup-winning forward hit all five in a 5-0 win over Albacete at Riazor in October 1995, with his second, third and fourth goals all scored in a period of just four minutes at the end of the game – albeit a long time after his opener in the second minute. The fifth followed just three minutes later.
16. Robbie Fowler (Liverpool vs Arsenal)
Robbie Fowler scored 171 goals for Liverpool in 330 appearances between 1993 and 2001, later returning for a second spell at Anfield from 2005 to 2007.
The former England striker was a hugely popular player with the Reds fans and his early years were particularly impressive. In 1994/95, he scored 31 goals, including a hat-trick against Arsenal in four minutes and 33 seconds in August. That treble stood as the fastest in Premier League history until it was beaten by Sadio Mané's hat-trick for Southampton against Aston Villa in 2015.
15. Lois Openda (Lens vs Clermont Foot)
Lens thrashed Clermont Foot 4-0 in March 2023 and striker Lois Openda hit a hat-trick in just four minutes and 30 seconds in the Ligue 1 clash.
According to Opta, the Belgian's treble was four seconds quicker than Matt Moussilou's hat-trick for Lille against Istres in April 2005. Openda also set up the fourth goal for substitute Alexis Claude-Maurice.
14. Iago Aspas (Sevilla vs Sabadell)
After a difficult season at Liverpool in 2013/14, Iago Aspas returned to La Liga on loan with Sevilla and was soon back among the goals.
The former Spain striker scored hat-tricks home and away against Sabadell in the Copa del Rey, with the second of those coming in just three minutes and 51 seconds. Spanish radio station Onda Cero later calculated that, not including the time it took for a substitution made by Sabadell after one of his goals, Aspas had scored his treble in two minutes and 11 seconds.
13. Aron Jóhannsson (Aarhus vs AC Horsens)
Born in the United States, Aron Jóhannsson grew up in Iceland and the striker was eligible to represent both national teams.
Jóhannsson went on to play for the USMNT and had spells at AZ Alkmaar and Werder Bremen. But during his time at Aarhus in Denmark, he scored the fastest hat-trick in Danish Superliga history, netting a treble in three minutes and 50 seconds against AC Horsens. He later scored the fourth within 16 minutes – also a Superliga record.
12. Gift Orban (Gent vs İstanbul Başakşehir)
After scoring four goals for Gent in a 6-2 win over Zulte Waregem, Gift Orban struck three more in an impressive 4-1 victory away to İstanbul Başakşehir in the Europa Conference League in March 2023.
The Nigerian striker netted all three in the space of three minutes and 25 seconds, making his hat-trick the fastest in the history of European club competitions.
11. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich vs Wolfsburg)
With Bayern Munich 1-0 down at home to Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga in September 2015, Pep Guardiola sent on Robert Lewandowski to replace Thiago for the second half.
Lewandowski quickly made his mark, equalising after 51 minutes and adding two more shortly after that. The Polish striker hit his hat-trick in just three minutes and 15 seconds and helped himself to five overall in the space of only nine minutes.
10. Joel Pohjanpalo (HJK vs IFK Mariehamn)
Joel Pohjanpalo came through the youth system at HJK Helsinki and made his debut as a 16-year-old.
At the age of just 17, Pohjanpalo hit a 162-second hat-trick in HJK's season-opener against IFK Mariehamn in April 2012. The Finnish international has since played in Germany, Turkey and Italy.
9. Sadio Mané (Southampton vs Aston Villa)
Sadio Mané spent two seasons at Southampton between 2014 and 2016 and the Senegal striker scored 25 goals in 75 appearances for the Saints.
The former Liverpool forward netted three of those in a Premier League game against Aston Villa in May 2015, completing his hat-trick in just two minutes and 56 seconds in a 6-1 win at St. Mary's. Mané's treble remains the fastest in Premier League history.
8. Ian St John (Motherwell vs Hibernian)
Before spending a decade at Liverpool between 1961 and 1971, Ian St John started out at Scottish side Motherwell in the late 1950s.
The former Scotland striker scored over 100 goals for the Steelmen, including a hat-trick in just two minutes and 30 seconds against Hibernian in 1959.
7. James Hayter (Bournemouth vs Wrexham)
Bournemouth beat Wrexham 6-0 in the old Division Two back in February 2004 and the Cherries' James Hayter helped himself to a late hat-trick in just two minutes and 20 seconds.
Hayter's parents had been at the game, but left early to catch a ferry back to the Isle of Wight with their son still on the bench. Earlier in the week, Hayter had celebrated the birth of his son.
6. Jimmy O’Connor (Shelbourne vs Bohemians)
Jimmy O'Connor was a forward who played for Irish side Shelbourne in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
In November 1967, O'Connor scored a hat-trick in two minutes and 13 seconds. A plaque was put up at Shelbourne's Tolka Park home to commemorate the feat.
5. Abdul Hamid Bassiouny
Abdul Hamid Bassiouny scored just three international goals for Egypt and all of those came in one match – a World Cup qualifier against Namibia in 2001.
Bassiouny scored his three goals inside two minutes – in 117 seconds to be precise – as Egypt ran out 8-2 winners in a one-sided contest.
4. Eduardo Maglioni (Independiente vs Gimnasia y Esgrima)
Eduardo Maglioni played as a striker in Argentina in the 1960s and 1970s and is best remembered for his time at Independiente.
In a match against Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata in March 1973, Maglioni scored a hat-trick for El Rojo in just one minute and 51 seconds.
3. Tommy Ross (Ross County vs Nairn County)
Tommy Ross played as an inside-forward for Ross County in the early 1960s and was a prolific scorer for the Scottish side.
Ross scored 44 goals in the 1964/65 season, including a 90-second hat-trick against Nairn County in November 1964, which for many years stood as the fastest treble in men's football.
2. Magnus Arvidsson (Hässleholm vs Landskrona)
Magnus Arvidsson spent seven sevens in Germany with Hansa Rostock and the striker also won a couple of caps for Sweden.
Earlier in his career, Arvidsson scored a hat-trick for IFK Hässleholm against Landskrona, hitting his treble in just 89 seconds back in 1995.
1. Alex Torr (Rawson Springs vs Winn Gardens)
Sheffield is home to the world's oldest existing football club (Sheffield FC) and the oldest football stadium still in use (Hallam FC's Sandygate).
The Yorkshire city was also the scene for the fastest hat-trick in football history as Alex Torr scored four in a 7-1 win for Rawson over Winn Gardens in the Meadowhall Sunday League, including a 70-second treble which has been acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records.
