Not George Weah, not Didier Drobga, not Samuel Eto'o. The first African player to score a hattrick in UEFA Champions League history is Yakubu Aiyegbeni. The Nigerian international had a historic season for Israeli side Maccabi Haifa in 2002/03, scoring a total of 7 goals in the UCL. Of those 7 there was a notable goal against Manchester United, but more importantly a historic hat trick against Olympiakos.
Yakubu was only 19 years old at the time, he would go on to play in the Premier League and even score for Nigeria in the 2010 World Cup. Despite his many accomplishments, his unprecedented hattrick for African footballers will always be remembered in history.