Zlatan's Hat-tricks

After Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted his first Manchester United hat-trick in the 3-0 win over St Etienne, we look at his career trebles and see how the Swede's record compares.

It may not have been the most eye-pleasing of trebles on Thursday night, but Ibrahimovic won't mind one bit, as he joined an illustrious list of Manchester United hat-trick heroes.

It took Cristiano Ronaldo six years to fire his one and only hat-trick for United, but the indomitable Swede has managed his first in just 35 appearances.

Those who doubted whether Ibrahimovic could still produce the goods in the twilight of his career have been made to look rather foolish by the 35-year-old, who already has 23 goals for the season - the same as Robin van Persie in his first season at Old Trafford.

St Etienne are certainly sick of the sight of Ibrahimovic, as he took his tally to 17 against Les Verts - more than he has managed against any other side in his career.

Incredibly, Thursday saw Ibrahimovic net his third career hat-trick against The Greens, having notched a treble in a 5-0 Ligue 1 win with Paris Saint-Germain back in 2014 and the 4-1 French Cup semi-final success in 2015.

Ibrahimovic's time in France was more than prolific. Ten of his 17 hat-tricks were in the blue and red of the Parisians, including one four-goal haul in the Champions League against Anderlecht in 2013. After his last hat-trick in France at the end of last season, Ibrahimovic proclaimed, as only he can, that he "collects them."

Four was the magic number against England in a 2012 friendly as Ibrahimovic gave Ryan Shawcross a torrid time on his one and only England appearance. Ibrahimovic has netted four trebles on the international stage while becoming Sweden's all-time top goalscorer, with the first of his career coming against Malta in a World Cup qualifier back in 2004.

His early career was relatively barren in terms hat-trick returns. One treble against Palermo for AC Milan and one for Juventus against Lecce in 2005 are his only domestic hat-tricks pre-PSG.

Ibrahimovic joins Shinji Kagawa, Teddy Sheringham, Ronaldo and Andrei Kanchelskis on one hat-trick for United, but he has some way to go to really write his name into United folklore in this regard, with Wayne Rooney leading the way with eight hat-tricks in all competitions to his name from the current crop. Dennis Law's tally of 18 is likely to stand the test of time.

Ronaldo's strike rate has improved markedly since, having netted a further 43 career hat-tricks, with him and Messi having both scored eight each in one season alone.

Pele still leads the way in lifetime trebles, though, with an insurmountable 92 to his name.

Credit: Skysports.com