Which players have been the most prolific hat-trick scoopers since the turn of the decade?

With the great Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo finally beginning to feel the effects of mother nature's natural ageing process, it's an interesting topic to consider.

The duo are still up there with the very best players on planet earth - even if Messi was omitted from the 30 man Ballon d'Or shortlist for 2022.

However, the emergence of explosive strikers like Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland means that they face some stiff competition for the first time that doesn't just come in the form of Robert Lewandowski, Luis Suarez or the flamboyant Neymar.

Manchester City's new star even bagged a hat-trick as recently as this weekend, smashing three past Crystal Palace to help his side to a 4-2 victory.

But have the new kids on the block done enough to summit two of the greatest goalscorers football has ever known?

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Ronaldo has hit a mega 60 hat-tricks across his illustrious career, meanwhile Messi sits not far off with his tally of 55, so even if they have tailed off slightly since 2020, it would nevertheless be pretty impressive if they can beat the experts.

Check out how they've all fared below.

The 10 most prolific hat-trick hitters since 2020 (top 5 leagues & national team)

=7. Lionel Messi - 3
=7. Neymar - 3
=7. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 3
=7. Arkadiusz Milik - 3
=5. Harry Kane - 4
=5. Ciro Immobile - 4
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - 5
=2. Erling Haaland - 7
=2. Kylian Mbappe - 7
1. Robert Lewandowski - 9

Image credit: Transfermarkt Instagram

Ah, who else could it have been at number one? The Bayern legend, who now plies his trade at Barcelona, was simply unplayable for large swathes of the past couple of seasons.

Goals galore are all but assured with the Polish hitman and he takes the cake with his tally of nine.

Haaland and Mbappe fare pretty well also though, it must be said, coming in second respectively.

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Ronaldo beats his eternal rival Messi by two hat-tricks.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane and Neymar also make the top 10, adding even further to an already star-studded cast.

Notable players to miss out on the list include: Mohamed Salah, Karim Benzema, Sadio Mane, Son Heung-Min and Romelu Lukaku amongst others.

Can you guess where these 40 players made their pro debuts?