What is the nickname for 4 goals in soccer?

What’s the Nickname for Scoring 4 Goals in Soccer?

Scoring four goals in a single soccer match is a rare and impressive feat—and it comes with a few colorful nicknames depending on where you are in the world. The most common term used in English-speaking countries is a “haul” or more specifically, a “four-goal haul”. You’ll often hear commentators say a player “bagged a four-goal haul” after a dominant performance. It’s punchy, descriptive, and has become standard in match reports and post-game analysis.

But head over to Spain or much of Latin America, and you’ll hear a different term: “póker”. Yes, like the card game. The nickname draws a clever parallel to poker’s high-ranking “four-of-a-kind,” symbolizing dominance and rarity. It’s a linguistic wink to the idea of holding all four matching cards—unbeatable, just like a player running riot on the pitch.

While not as universally recognized as a “hat trick” (three goals), scoring four marks a special moment in a player’s career. Whether it's called a haul or a póker, the achievement carries weight. Think of legends like Lionel Messi or Erling Haaland lighting up scoreboards—those games often come with a mention of both terms in global headlines.

Football language evolves with the culture around it, and these nicknames reflect that beautifully. One word may dominate in London, another in Madrid, but they both celebrate the same electrifying achievement: a player in unstoppable form, finding the net four times in a single match.