February 15, 2025

Football Africa

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Most Hat-Tricks Scored by an African in National Team History: The Libyan Who Never Scored in African Competitions

3 min read
Mohammed Ali Al-Biski is the all-time top scorer for the Libya national team

Mohammed Ali Al-Biski is the all-time top scorer for the Libya national team

The Argentine legend Lionel Messi achieved a remarkable milestone in 2024 by equaling the world record for the most hat-tricks (three goals in a single match) with national teams.

Messi scored three goals in a 6-0 victory over Bolivia on October 16 during the World Cup qualifying match. This was Messi’s 10th career hat-trick with Argentina, matching the record set by Englishman Vivian Woodward over a century ago, as well as the total achieved by Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo in international football.

Who holds the record for the most hat-tricks by an African player in international football?

When talking about African football records, names like Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto’o, and George Weah often come to mind. However, the truth is that there is an African player who achieved an incredible feat despite not receiving enough recognition.

This player is Libyan forward Mohammed Ali Al-Biski, who played for the Libya national team in the 1960s and 1970s. Al-Biski scored 7 hat-tricks in just 44 matches with his national team.

Al-Biski represented Libya for 9 years, from 1961 to 1970. During this period, he achieved remarkable performances, scoring “3” goals in two matches, “4” goals in three matches, “5” goals in one game, and even “7” goals in another.

A Unique Goal Scorer

Al-Biski played for prominent Libyan clubs, including Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahly Tripoli, Al-Madina, and Al-Mashal SC.

He shone brightly with the Libyan national team in Arab competitions, starting with the 1965 Arab Championship in Cairo, where he scored 11 goals in just 6 matches. This performance earned him the title of Best Player in the tournament as well as the top scorer award.

Al-Biski’s 11 goals were scored as follows: 4 against Oman, 4 against Yemen, 1 against Egypt, and 2 against Palestine.

In the same tournament held in Iraq a year later, he scored 16 goals in 6 matches, winning the top scorer title once again. His tally of goals in that tournament remains unmatched by any player ever since.

Mohammed Ali Al-Biski is the all-time top scorer for the Libya national team

Exceptional Achievements Despite Limited Appearances

Al-Biski was known for his extraordinary goal-scoring ability, having netted 40 goals in just 44 matches for Libya. He scored multiple goals in 9 of his matches, including 7 matches where he scored at least three goals.

Despite these remarkable statistics, Al-Biski did not score any goals in African continental tournaments.

Zero Goals in African Competitions

During his time with the Libyan national team, Al-Biski did not participate in many African competitions. He played only 7 matches in African tournaments, including 5 matches in the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations, without scoring a goal, as well as 2 matches in the World Cup qualifiers, where he also failed to find the net.

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