The Bizarre Rule That Means Jadon Sancho's Hat-Trick At The Weekend 'Doesn't Count'

Jadon Sancho returned to the Borussia Dortmund starting line-up on Sunday with a hat-trick - but a bizarre German football rule means it doesn't count.

The England international started his first game since football resumed and marked it with three goals as Dortmund smashed Paderborn 6-1.

All of his goals came in the second half to make the hat-trick 'lupenreiner', or flawless in English.

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However, teammates Achraf Hakimi and Marcel Schmelzer both scored between the 20-year-old's second and third goal, meaning it's not a 'proper hat-trick'.

It's the same incredibly harsh standards teenage sensation Erling Haaland failed to meet on his Dortmund debut against Augsburg.

Following that game back in January, German journalist Raphael Honigstein told BBC Radio Five Live: "In Germany, for some reason, we don't consider this a proper hat-trick.

"It needs to be in one half, but also, nobody scoring in between.

"We are so German we don't consider it a hat-trick."

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Players are still allowed to take the match ball home however even if they don't achieve a 'lupenreiner'.

The closet equivalent in English football is the 'perfect hat-trick' - which is scoring with your left and right foot as well as netting a header.

Sancho will likely be unfazed however as he takes his tally for the season to 20 goals and 20 assists.

He also made headlines for paying tribute to George Floyd following his first goal.

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Sancho removed his shirt to show a message of 'Justice For George Floyd', an American black man who died while in police custody last week.

Teammate and fellow goalscorer Hakimi was also seen with the message on his shirt at full-time.

Elsewhere, Borussia Monchengladbach's Marcus Thurman took a knee after scoring against Union Berlin and Weston McKennie wore a 'Justice For George' armband for Schalke.

Dortmund's victory leaves them in second place, four points ahead of Borussia Monchengladbach but seven behind league leaders Bayern Munich.

Their 1-0 defeat to the Bavarians on Tuesday evening has all but sealed Bayern's eighth Bundesliga title in a row.

Topics: Football News, Football, Borussia Dortmund, Jadon Sancho, Bundesliga

Daniel Marland

Daniel is a freelance journalist for SPORTbible and covers a variety of sports. He also has past experience of working at Manchester United and once locked eyes with Jose Mourinho. He lived to tell the tale.

@DanMarland1998x