Paternity leave? What’s that?
In what can only be described as his best day ever, Red Bull Salzburg’s Jonathan Soriano started the morning by welcoming his third child into the world, a daughter named Abril.
But instead of spending the rest of his day with wife Cristina Sabater and their brand spanking newborn, the 27-year-old Spaniard rushed over to Red Bull Arena to join his team for the second half of Saturday’s matchup against rival side Wolfsberger.
With his team deadlocked at 2-2 after the first 45 minutes of play, Soriano stretched out, suited up and took to the field, where he found the net after just four minutes. He added two more goals to round out the hat-trick and led Salzburg to an emphatic 6-2 victory over Wolfsberger.
Though Soriano’s second-half performance was astonishing, it was no fluke. The hat-trick Saturday brought his season goal tally up to 25, trailing Austrian Bundesliga goal leader Philipp Hosiner by just two strikes.
Maybe he was brimming with energy and excitement after his daughter’s birth, or maybe he just didn’t want to miss a day of work — feeding three mouths is no easy feat — but either way, Soriano is a happy guy.
“This is an incredible day for me,” he said. “Having the chance to play and three goals, I think I will not forget any time soon.”
Check out the full highlights from Saturday’s game, including Soriano’s three masterful goals in the video below.
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