List of Copa América hat-tricks
This is a list of all hat-tricks scored during Copa Américas; that is, the occasions when a footballer has scored three or more goals in a single football Copa América match. Scoring a hat-trick in a Copa América is a relatively rare event: only 69 hat-tricks have been scored in 751 matches in the 46 editions of the Copa América tournament. As CONMEBOL is a governing body of football (soccer), official hat-tricks are only noted when CONMEBOL recognises that at least three goals were scored by one player in one match.
The first hat-trick was scored by Arthur Friedenreich of Brazil, playing against Chile in the 1919 South American Championship; the most recent was by the Argentinian Lionel Messi, playing against Panama in the 2016 Copa América Centenario.
The only editions not to have at least one hat-trick scored were 1916, 1917, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1937, 1956, 1979, 1983, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2019. The record number of hat-tricks in a single Copa América tournament is five, which occurred during the following tournaments: 1926 South American Championship in Chile, 1942 South American Championship in Uruguay, 1945 South American Championship in Chile, and 1957 South American Championship in Peru.
Notable Copa América hat-tricks
- Arthur Friedenreich was the first player to score a hat-trick in a Copa América match, on 11 May 1919 against Chile.
- Ten players have scored two hat-tricks in Copa América matches: Ademir (1945 and 1949), Javier Ambrois (1957), David Arellano (1926), Teodoro Fernández (1939 and 1941), Herminio Masantonio (1935 and 1942), Pedro Petrone (1924 and 1927), Sylvio Pirillo (1942), José Sanfilippo (1959 (Ecuador)), Severino Varela (1939 and 1942) and Paolo Guerrero (2011 and 2015).
- Héctor Scarone, Juan Marvezzi, José Manuel Moreno and Evaristo are the only players in Copa América history to have scored five goals in a single match.
- There have been three occasions when two hat-tricks have been scored in the same match; when Uruguay defeated Bolivia in 1927, Pedro Petrone and Roberto Figueroa, both playing for Uruguay, scored three goals. Another occurred during the 1942 South American Championship: when Argentina defeated Ecuador, José Manuel Moreno scored five goals and Herminio Masantonio scored four, both for Argentina.
- The quickest hat-trick to be completed is José Manuel Moreno's three goals during the 1942 edition. He scored his third in the 22nd minute, after scoring his first goal in the 12th minute and his second in the 16th.
- The only players to have scored a hat-trick coming from the bench are Paulo Valentim in 1959 and Lionel Messi in 2016.
- Although Copa América Centenario is a special edition, hat-tricks scored in that tournament are listed here.
- No player has scored a hat-trick against Argentina neither a Bolivian, Ecuatorian or Venezuelan footballer has scored three or more goals in a match.