Federico Valverde has etched his name in the history books of the Champions League. In the first round of 16 match against Manchester City, he put on a performance that strikers dream of, but not midfielders—and in doing so, he became only the second Uruguayan in the competition’s history to score three goals in a single match.
On Wednesday evening, the Bernabéu witnessed something extraordinary. Real Madrid defeated Manchester City 3–0 in the first leg of the 2025/26 Champions League round of 16, with Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde scoring all three goals in the first half.
The performance was all the more remarkable given that, prior to this match, Valverde had scored just three goals in 75 Champions League appearances throughout his career. He then added three more in the space of less than 25 minutes.
Three goals, three stories
Each of the three goals was special in its own way. The first came after a long clearance by Thibaut Courtois—Valverde outpaced the defenders, rounded goalkeeper Donnarumma, and finished coolly. He scored the second with his left—his weaker—foot after a pass from Vinícius Jr. And the third was perhaps the most beautiful: after a give-and-go with Díaz, he lobbed the ball over Ruben Dias and finished the play with a volley.
It was only the fifth first-half hat trick in the history of the Champions League knockout stage—and the first against an English opponent since Lionel Messi achieved the feat against Arsenal sixteen years ago.
Historical connection to “El Rifle” Pandiani
But the most significant historical milestone dates back to 2001. The last time a Uruguayan scored a hat trick in the Champions League was before Valverde 7. March 2001, when Deportivo La Coruña pulled off an incredible comeback against Paris Saint-Germain — turned the score around from 0–3 to 4–3 thanks to a hat trick by Walter Pandiani.
Pandiani came on as a substitute and scored all three of his headers within the final thirty minutes of the match. PSG thus lost their chance to advance to the quarterfinals. Champions League The Uruguayan striker earned the nickname “El Rifle” for that performance and made his mark in the history of Spanish soccer. Valverde thus followed in Pandiani’s footsteps more than a quarter-century later. Two different eras, two Uruguayan soccer players, one exclusive statistic.
The next one continues on Etihad
Real Madrid heads into the second leg at Etihad Stadium with a comfortable three-goal lead. Vinícius Jr. missed a penalty in the second half that could have extended the lead even further—but Madrid still has a clear path to the quarterfinals, where Bayern Munich likely awaits. Valverde—who for months had been used as a makeshift right back, a player who had publicly expressed dissatisfaction with that role—finally had the night he deserved. And he made history exactly as befits the “Juanita of the 21st century.”
