Gonzalo Garcia wrote history at Real Madrid! He entered a select top alongside Ronaldo Nazario and Van Nistelrooy after the hat-trick with Betis
Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published on Sunday, 04 January 2026, 20:55 / Updated on Sunday, 04 January 2026 20:58
The absence of Kylian Mbappe, with a knee injury, looked like a heavy blow for Real Madrid ahead of the duel with Real Betis. However, the absence of the French superstar was impeccably compensated by Gonzalo Garcia, the only 21-year-old forward, who scored a spectacular hat-trick and was named man of the match.
Real Madrid prevailed categorically in front of Real Betis, score 5-1, in a game clearly dominated by the Madrids. Through the three goals scored, the young man who grew up in the “galacticos” academy entered an extremely select ranking, alongside legendary names from the club's history.
Enter an exclusive ranking: Ronaldo Nazario, Van Nistelrooy and Mbappe
In his first game as a starter in La Liga, Gonzalo Garcia became the second player in the 21st century to score three goals on his debut for Real Madrida feat previously accomplished only by Ruud van Nistelrooy in September 2006 in a 4-1 win against Levante, according to information published by OptaJose.
At the same time, the Spaniard joins a select group of footballers who have scored at least two goals on their first league debut for Real Madrid:
Gonzalo Garcia, the author of a hat trick that entered the history of the club / photo: Imago Images
Rapid rise to the first team
A product of the Real Madrid academy, Gonzalo Garcia made his debut for the first team two seasons ago, but in the previous season he ticked off only 53 minutes in the Madrid shirt.
In the current season, he has been permanently promoted to the first team and has already made 18 official appearances in all competitions, both in La Liga and the Champions League. The hat-trick against Betis was his first league goals for Real Madrid, having scored four goals in the Club World Championship and one in the Copa del Rey.
4 goalsin 4 matches he had Garcia at the Club World Cup, being named the top scorer of the competition
In addition to Mbappe's absence, Alonso was also without Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao and Dean Huijsen, all injured, while Brahim Diaz is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco.
