Barcelona academy star joins list of elite company after hat-trick against Olympiacos | OneFootball

Barcelona produced a masterclass at Montjuic, crushing Olympiacos 6-1 in the UEFA Champions League group stage. 

While many expected a routine win, few could have predicted that Fermin Lopez would steal the spotlight with a sensational hat-trick that placed his name alongside some of the biggest legends in the club’s history.

The La Masia graduate’s treble did not just help Barcelona secure an emphatic victory — it also wrote a new chapter in the club’s European story. 

Fermin became only the third Spanish player in Barcelona’s history to net a hat-trick in European competition. But his achievement doesn’t stop there.

List of accolades

According to Mundo Deportivo, since the European Cup was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League in the 1992-93 season, only one Barcelona player younger than Fermin has ever scored three goals in a single match — Neymar. 

The Brazilian achieved the feat at 21 years and 309 days old against Celtic on December 11, 2013. 

Fermin Lopez scored a hat-trick against Olympiacos. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Fermin’s hat-trick came at 22 years and 163 days, placing him second in this special ranking. 

Third on the list is none other than Lionel Messi, who scored four goals against Arsenal on April 6, 2010, in what was then his first multi-goal game in the competition.

Joining Barcelona’s hall of European greats

By scoring three against Olympiacos, Fermin became just the ninth Barça player ever to register a hat-trick in the Champions League era. 

The elite list includes Rivaldo, Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho, Arda Turan, Messi, Robert Lewandowski, Neymar, and Raphinha.

Though Fermin may not reach the goal-scoring heights of the club’s scoring sensations of the past, his display highlighted his natural instinct in front of goal. 

Playing as an attacking midfielder or a false left winger, the 22-year-old continues to impress with his timing, composure, and maturity. 

His hat-trick is not only a personal milestone but also a sign of Barcelona’s new generation rising to meet the club’s grand European standards.