Three goals with three different body parts to pull the team out of the relegation zone

The veteran striker produced a dream hat-trick against Real Betis, scoring with his right foot, left foot and head to pull Los Babazorros out of the relegation places.

One of the most impressive individual performances of LALIGA EA SPORTS Matchday 20, and of the season so far, took place at the Estadio Benito Villamarín on Saturday. There, Kike García, the 35-year-old Deportivo Alavés striker, produced a dream hat-trick to help his team achieve a 3-1 win. It was a crucial victory for the team and the first since Eduardo Coudet took over the Basque club’s dugout. Thanks to the three points, Deportivo Alavés were able to stay out of the relegation zone, which has become the team’s main objective this season.

Kike García started off his perfect hat-trick early, netting the opening goal of the game in the 10th minute when, after an impressive run into the area, he was fouled by Marc Bartra. The striker stood up and took the spot kick himself, striking with his right foot to make it 1-0. This was only the beginning of his magical evening. He was dangerous all game and then, in the 80th minute, when the scoreline was 1-1, he pounced on a loose ball in the area with his left foot to fire into the back of the net. He hadn’t finished, though, and less than five minutes later he completed his hat-trick with an impressive header past Adrián San Miguel to make it a 3-1 final score.

Four years after scoring a hat-trick against Deportivo Alavés, he nets one for them

This isn’t Kike García’s first hat-trick of his career. In fact, his first three-goal performance in Spanish football’s top flight actually came against his current club, when he netted three times for SD Eibar in a Basque derby in 2020/21. He also scored a hat-trick for Real Murcia in the second tier back in 2013/14 and now, years later, the veteran striker has another, as he continues to fight for every ball in attack.

Throughout his career, during which he has represented SD Eibar, CA Osasuna and Deportivo Alavés, among others, he has always been known for his work ethic, becoming one of the most respected forwards in LALIGA EA SPORTS:

The ninth hat-trick by a Deportivo Alavés player in their 19 LALIGA EA SPORTS seasons

This is Kike García’s best goalscoring performance from his 55 matches with his current club, and means he has become a part of Deportivo Alavés history. The 35-year-old has joined the exclusive list of players to have scored three goals in a top-tier fixture for the Basque club. There have been nine top-flight hat-tricks in the club’s history, the most recent being Ibai Gómez’s three goals in a crucial 2017 relegation battle against Girona FC and Nenê’s haul in a clash with Getafe CF back in 2005.

With his three goals, the striker has now entered the top 10 in the LALIGA EA SPORTS scoring charts for this season, having netted eight total goals. That’s the same as LALIGA EA SPORTS stars Vinícius and Alexander Sørloth. Moreover, the Deportivo Alavés player is now the top-scoring Spaniard in this season’s competition, sitting joint top in this ranking alongside Villarreal CF’s Ayoze Pérez.