In a period covering more than a century, only six players have scored four goals in a single match for the Italian National Team. Let’s look back at those who have achieved this feat, with this exclusive club having remained unchanged for 43 years.

Carlo Biagi became the first member when he found the net four times against Japan in the quarter-finals of the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. The Azzurri, who went on to win the competition, triumphed 8-0 on 7 August that year. These were the only goals that the midfielder from Viareggio netted for his country.

The second four-goal haul from an Italian player came at another Summer Olympics: in London in 1948, Francesco Pernigo took centre stage in a 9-0 victory over the United States in the round of 16. Then, there was Omar Sivori on 4 November 1961: he bagged four in a 6-0 win for the Azzurri against Israel in Turin in a qualifying match for the 1962 World Cup. Alberto Orlando was the next to join the club, a player from Rome who wore the shirts of Roma, Fiorentina, Torino and Napoli during his career. He made a major contribution on 2 December 1962, when Italy beat Turkey 6-0 in Bologna. This was another qualifying match, albeit for the European Championship.

Gigi Riva, Italy’s all-time leading goalscorer, is also inevitably part of this elite goalscoring group. Four of the 35 goals he bagged for the National Team came on 31 March 1973, when the Azzurri met Luxembourg in World Cup qualifying at the Ferraris in Genoa. Finally, there’s Roberto Bettega: his four-goal haul came on 15 October 1977, when Italy beat Finland 6-1 in Turin in a qualifying match for the 1978 World Cup. During the said tournament, Bearzot’s side narrowly missed out on making the final.