All the EURO finals hat-tricks: David Villa, Marco van Basten and more

In 15 editions of the UEFA European Championship, there have been just eight hat-tricks; meet the men who hit the continent’s big trebles.

Dieter Müller: 1976 semi-finals, Yugoslavia 2-4 West Germany (aet)
Hat-trick time: 37 minutes (82 head, 115 right foot, 119 right foot)

The Köln striker’s team were headed for a 2-1 defeat in Belgrade and elimination when the 22-year-old came off the bench to make his West Germany debut with 11 minutes left. Three minutes later he got his head to Rainer Bonhof’s delivery to make it 2-2, then he struck twice in extra time to complete a headline-grabbing hat-trick and steer his side to the final.

Klaus Allofs: 1980 group stage, West Germany 3-2 Netherlands
Hat-trick time: 45 minutes (20 right foot, 60 right foot, 65 right foot)

The Fortuna Düsseldorf man ended EURO 1980 as a winner and the competition’s top scorer by virtue of his three goals in Naples, though Bernd Schuster also earned credit for the part he played in setting up two of them. Victory gave West Germany a second successive group win and they went on to win the tournament, having lost the final on penalties four years earlier.

Michel Platini: 1984 group stage, France 5-0 Belgium
Hat-trick time: 85 minutes (4 left foot, 74 right foot, 89 head)

The 1984 hosts had started in tentative fashion with a 1-0 success against Denmark, but here in Nantes they and their talisman eased through the gears. A fourth-minute predatory rebound, a penalty and a header made up the first perfect hat-trick in EURO history, although it was the 28-year-old’s all-round influence that boded particularly well for Les Bleus.

Michel Platini: 1984 group stage, France 3-2 Yugoslavia
Hat-trick time: 18 minutes (59 left foot, 62 head, 77 right foot)

Only three days later, in France's next game, the captain was at it again, becoming the first and still only man to score more than one hat-trick in a single EURO. Adopting a free role which perfectly suited his style, the Juventus star overturned a 1-0 deficit in 18 second-half minutes, his piece de resistance a free-kick to make it 3-1 in Saint-Etienne.

Marco van Basten: 1988 group stage, England 1-3 Netherlands
Hat-trick time: 31 minutes (44 left foot, 71 left foot, 75 right foot)

A mere substitute in the Netherlands' 1-0 defeat by the Soviet Union in their tournament opener, Van Basten justified his starting berth with this Dusseldorf treble, all three goals laid on by his AC Milan team-mate Ruud Gullit. Rinus Michels’ men reached the final where Van Basten sparkled again, scoring perhaps the greatest goal in EURO history.

Sérgio Conceição: 2000 group stage, Portugal 3-0 Germany
Hat-trick time: 36 minutes (35 head, 54 left foot, 71 right foot)

Already sure of a last-eight place, Portugal had nothing to play for in Rotterdam, in what would be Lothar Matthäus’ 150th and final Germany match, but Sergio Conceição seized the chance to impress with three goals for a much-changed side. A substitute in Portugal’s first two games, the 25-year-old played his way into a starting position as his team went on to the semis.

Patrick Kluivert: 2000 quarter-finals, Netherlands 6-1 Yugoslavia
Hat-trick time: 30 minutes (24 right foot, 38 right foot, 54 right foot)

Deceptively quick, Kluivert showed all his predatory instincts for the co-hosts in Rotterdam, assists from Dennis Bergkamp, Edgar Davids and Boudewijn Zenden ensuring he had dibs on the match ball by the time he went off on the hour. He might have completed his hat-trick even earlier, on 51 minutes, but his ‘effort’ went down as a Dejan Govedarica own goal.

David Villa: 2008 group stage, Spain 4-1 Russia
Hat-trick time: 55 minutes (20 right foot, 44 right foot, 75 right foot)

Villa exhibited his speed, persistence and eye for goal in this dazzling display in Innsbruck. From a simple tap-in – Fernando Torres had done the hard work – to open the scoring, to a pacy, bustling run and precision finish to wrap up his treble, the then-Valencia ace was the perfect apex to a Spanish side packed to the brim with artists and creators.