What are 4 goals called in soccer? A primer on goalscoring hauls

When a player manages to score 4 goals in a single soccer match, this impressive haul of goals is referred to as a "haul." Let‘s break down the terminology used to describe different goalscoring landmarks and why the haul is such a notable feat:

Goalscoring terminology

First, what do we call other goal landmarks?

• 1 goal – Simply a goal
• 2 goals – Brace
• 3 goals – Hat trick
• 4 goals – Haul
• 5 goals – Glut
• 6 goals – Double hat trick
• 7+ goals – Increasingly rare terms like "haul trick"

Why is 2 goals called a "brace"?

The term "brace" comes from hunting terminology for a pair of animals killed. In soccer, scoring two goals represents bagging a brace of goals.

Why is 3 goals called a "hat trick"?

This term originated from cricket, referring to a bowler taking 3 wickets on consecutive deliveries. The cricketing feat was said to be worthy of being awarded a hat.

In soccer and hockey, the tradition continues of fans celebrating a player scoring 3 by throwing hats onto the field of play.

The significance of the 4-goal haul

Compared to a hat trick, a haul of 4 goals represents an even greater, almost superhuman attacking display. Consider the following rarities that make a 4-goal haul so noteworthy:

• In the English Premier League from 1992 onwards, the record for most 4+ goal hauls by a player is 4 (shared by Alan Shearer, Jermain Defoe, and Sergio Aguero). Hat tricks, on the other hand, happen a few times every season across the league.
• Only two players have managed to score 4 goals in a single World Cup match: Oleg Salenko (Russia, 1994) and Sandor Kocsis (Hungary, 1954).
• Only about 20 instances of 4+ goal hauls have occurred throughout World Cup history, compared to over 140 hat tricks scored.
• The UEFA Champions League record for most goals in a game is 5 – shared by only Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano. 4 goals represents the second-best mark.
• Pelé, one of soccer‘s offensive GOATs, had 92 hat tricks but ‘only‘ 37 hauls of 4 goals in his prolific career.

As these astonishing stats show, scoring 4 goals in a competitive top-flight match requires truly elite attacking prowess and some luck on the day. Next, let‘s look at some of the great hauls that left fans in awe:

Notable examples of incredible 4+ goal hauls

From Salenko‘s 5-goal brilliance on football‘s biggest stage to Lewandowski demolishing Bundesliga records, these goalscoring eruptions etched their way into soccer folklore. Their remarkable composure and clinical execution to repeatedly hit the back of the net within 90 minutes is simply astounding.

Why do these goal gluts happen so rarely?

If you look across domestic leagues, continental tournaments, and international fixtures with over a century‘s worth of data, these explosive goalscoring feats stand out as extreme anomalies. What makes them so rare?

Tough defending

Today‘s elite teams defend ruthlessly as a cohesive unit to smother space and passing channels towards goal. Prolific attackers routinely face tactics specifically designed to shut them down. To overhaul such defenses four times requires world-class dribbling and off-ball ingenuity.

Fine margins

To score once, so many things have to perfectly align like sharp positioning, perfect first touch, beating the keeper. To replicate that fine edge and razor-sharp execution four times despite keepers wisely adjusting is astonishing.

Situational restraints

If a single player scores 2 or 3 early on, managers often tactically substitute them to rest them against tired legs. Or their teammates may attempt shots rather than pass. This limits chance creation for the prolific individual later on.

Considering these steep barriers stacked against them, we can easily appreciate why football legends like Romario or Gerd Muller might fail to ever register a 4+ goal haul. When attackers do breach these formidable hurdles repeatedly in one special game, their goalscoring extravaganza rightly earns special distinction like the mark of a "haul."

Notable hauls in 2022

The 2022-2023 season has witnessed some landmark goal gluts already as attacking talents like Haaland and Mbappe continue pushing offensive boundaries:

• Erling Haaland: Incredibly, Manchester City phenom Haaland already has three Premier League hauls just halfway into his debut season. The lethal Norwegian notched 4 against Man United in October during a rampant three-game haul run.
• Kylian Mbappe: The PSG speedster is no stranger to goal gluts, and in December 2022 he tallied 5 goals and 3 assists vs Pays de Cassel in the French Cup Round of 64.
• Harry Kane: Spurs‘ Kane scored 4 in November 2022 to contribute to a league-record 5-4 win against Leeds.

As expected, rising talents like Haaland are scoring at video game-like rates previously unseen in leagues like the EPL. Defenders must feel helpless trying to contain them as they channel their inner Salenko ‘94 and blast their way into the record books.

Could we see 6, 7, or 8 goal hauls soon?

Football moves fast, and every few generations offensive phenoms emerge who force a reassessment of what‘s possible. Who knows what wild new goal gluts today‘s prodigies may achieve if given the perfect mixture of attacking freedom, poor defending, and plain old luck?

As analytics guru Ted Knutson suggested, something like an 8-goal haul could happen, even if the odds are infinitesimally slim:

"In your average tight title race an 8 goal performance crops up say every three to five years. They happen ALL THE TIME in weaker leagues or early tournament stages during routs. With scoring rates where they are now, I genuinely believe someone in a Big five league will bang in 8-10 goals some Saturday afternoon. Football is wild and random."

I‘m on the edge of my seat waiting to witness the next legendary "double haul," "haul trick," or perhaps an unheard of scoring feat like a "glut-trick" (9 goals!).

My perspective as a gamer

As an avid FIFA and Football Manager gamer for over a decade analyzing the ins and outs of strikers, even I would react with incredulous shock seeing a milestone like 9 goals happen live.

When a human player steps into the boots of an AI fantasy avatar like a maxed-out 99 Shooting Haaland to actually register such video game numbers in reality, they deserve every plaudit and highlight reel for generations.

These offensive freak outliers serve an important purpose – to expand perceptions of athletic possibility and human potential. And nothing captivates more than when extraordinary attacking talent collides with extraordinary luck on the same magical night.

In Conclusion

A 4-goal haul represents a special achievement for any striker as scoring even a single goal is difficult enough against packed modern defenses. When a supernova attacker like Mbappe or Lewandowski puts together an offensive masterclass of 4+ goals, they can be crowned with the distinction of an awe-inspiring goalscoring haul for the ages. These gluts may come only once a decade or less against elite teams.

So for any gamer and stats nerd like myself, witnessing these offensive eruptions makes for an unforgettable privilege. We can hardly wait to see what new goalscoring frontiers today‘s phenoms push next!