FC Barcelona is a club built on legacy, classy moments, and history. From the club’s golden era under Pep Guardiola to dazzling individual performances of Lionel Messi, the Camp Nou has witnessed it all. But inside the club’s excellent history and unbreakable records lies lesser-known stats that link together a few unexpected names. This is a stat that is based on highlighting the pure individual brilliance of players Barcelona bring to the club. This stat alone involves an orthodox featuring of legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.
The Orthodox Stat
When it comes to naming elite goalkeepers in the history of football, Manuel Neuer’s name is featured alongside some legendary names. The German goalkeeper has been at the top of the hierarchy of goalkeepers for more than ten years, revolutionizing the old-school goalkeeping style to the modern keeper-sweeper style. He is an excellent shot-stopper who has made clutch saves for his team which helped them to lift many trophies. This ultimate collection includes all, from the World Cup to the Champions League performing at Club Level and Internationally. Seeing all his performances and brilliant saves, one thought comes to mind, beating Neuer must be hard scoring a hat trick past him sounds impossible. Yet, there is a stat that connects a few unlikely names, and interestingly all three names are connected to FC Barcelona.
Very few players have scored a hat trick past Manuel Neuer in competitive games. Among the elite list, three stand out Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres, and Dani Olmo– all three who have worn the Barcelona shirt.
Robert Lewandowski
He is the most famous name on the list, and the most surprising one as well because majority of Lewa’s career he played with Neuer in goal during their time at Bayern. But in 2013, during Lewa’s time at Borussia Dortmund, Lewa stunned the football world by scoring four goals past Manuel Neuer in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals. Performing on the big stage, this performance converted Lewa into a proper star.
This performance attracted the eyes of many football clubs, this performance was one of the main reasons why Bayern left all the rivalry aside and signed Robert Lewandowski later on. There is a famous quote ‘If you can’t beat them, get them.’ This signing was the perfect epitome of this quote. Ironically the Polish striker and German goalie became teammates, dominating German football for years together.
Ferran Torres
Ferran is the second, and perhaps one of the most surprising names in this elite group of players holding this record. In a 2022 Nations League clash between Spain and Germany, Ferran scored three past Neuer, proving his worth in high-stake games against the best. The Spaniard was and still is often criticized for inconsistency. Ferran’s performance was a glimpse of his elite-level finishing. His hat-trick against Germany added his name to a list that includes some of the world’s best.
Raphinha
The Brazilian is the latest addition to this elite list, he scored a hat-rick past Neuer in the UEFA Champions League league phase this season. Raphinha netted a hat-trick in a 4–1 victory against Bayern Munich. The first came after dribbling past Neuer, and the other two were brilliant finishes from his right and left foot. Raphinha’s season has been on fire and the spark came against Neuer made him an overnight star.
Dani Olmo
Dani Olmo, another product of La Masia who didn’t shine initially was sold to Dinamo Zagreb, and later transferred to RB Leipzig. In the 2023 DFL-Supercup, Olmo shocked Bayern with a hat-trick for Leipzig, showcasing his precision and movement. His performance led Leipzig to lift the DFL Supercup against dominant Bayern.
