World Cup 2014: International hat-tricks are a dying art

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored two World Cup goals in his career

Michael Lintorn presents a case for betting against any hat-tricks being scored at the World Cup...

Given the perception that some forwards attending this World Cup are among the greatest of all time and the way that some group-stage participants like Iran, Algeria and Australia are judged complete no-hopers, you might assume that at least one hat-trick being scored in Brazil is a lock.

The odds certainly indicate as much, pricing a minimum of one treble being notched in the tournament at 1.292/7, whereas you can get 4.216/5 on the whole competition passing without any player scoring more than twice in a game.

However, there have only been three match balls seized by players at World Cups this century. Two were in the 2002 groups, with Germany's Miroslav Klose sticking three past Saudi Arabia and Portugal's Pauleta giving Poland the same treatment.

There were none in 2006 despite there being quite a few goal-tastic group ties - a 6-0, two 4-0s, a 4-1 and a 4-2 - and just one example in 2010, Gonzalo Higuain's in an early clash between Argentina and South Korea. Even that was a bit of an ambush job, with strikes in the 76th and 80th minutes.

One thing to be aware of is that you can't count on such a spectacular attacking display occurring in the knockout phase, as there hasn't been a hat-trick fired beyond the first round since Tomas Skuhravy's for Czechoslovakia against Costa Rica in 1990.

A possible explanation for that trend, considering there were two in the second round in both 1982 and 1986 and one in 1990, is that the expansion from 24 entrants to 32 has ensured a higher-calibre of latter-stage protagonists, with no fortuitous third-place sides sneaking through.

So you are therefore reliant on a three-goal masterclass arriving in the first three sets of fixtures and events in South Africa four years ago suggest that they are growing progressively cagier. There were a mere eight instances in 48 encounters of a nation netting three or more in a match, let alone a player.

It is also noticeable that presumed minnows are increasingly adept at frustrating opponents, even if they still lack in other areas. Algeria and New Zealand conceded only twice in three outings and Honduras three times. Rank outsiders North Korea restricted Brazil to two goals and Ivory Coast to three.

With the top-scorer mark falling from six or more at all ten editions between 1966 and 2002 to five in 2006 and 2010 and the grandest modern stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi underwhelming in their World Cup appearances to date, the evidence points to World Cup hat-tricks being rarer now than ever before.

Recommended Bet: Back there to be no hat-tricks @ 4.216/5