Scoring a goal in professional football is a monumental achievement, but netting three in a single match elevates a player to legendary status. According to football tradition, any player who manages to score a hat-trick earns the special right to take the official match ball home as a cherished souvenir.
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Subscribe Sekarang →Based on the official Laws of the Game, there is no mandatory rule requiring officials to hand over the ball. Instead, it remains an unwritten tradition in the sport, where teammates typically sign the ball to commemorate the milestone before the player adds it to their personal trophy collection.
Recent history provides notable examples of this custom in action across top European leagues. In August 2022, both Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada secured match balls after scoring hat-tricks during Celtic's dominant 9-0 victory over Dundee United. Just months later, Erling Haaland and Phil Foden repeated the feat by claiming separate match balls following Manchester City's emphatic 6-3 derby win against Manchester United.
Despite the widespread acceptance of the tradition, players occasionally face humorous hurdles from match officials. According to historical accounts, star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic once had to negotiate with referee Tony Chapron while playing for Paris Saint-Germain to secure his prized piece of equipment after a brilliant display on the pitch.