---
title: "Five goals at the World Cup and dollars in the pool: Oleg Salenko recalls the crazy night of his 1994 record"
description: "Oleg Salenko in an interview with Sport RBC.UA recalled how he found out about his penta-trick at the 1994 World Cup and how a delegation official threw dollars into the pool, while hotel staff drained the water the next morning and took the money."
date: 2026-10-19T08:40:40.802Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/oleg-salenko-pentatrick-1994-dollars-pool-story
tags: [oleg-salenko, world-cup-1994, pentatrick, ukraine-football, cameroon, dynamo-kyiv, football-history]
author: "Dmitriy Shatolov"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Five goals at the World Cup and dollars in the pool: Oleg Salenko recalls the crazy night of his 1994 record

![Oleg Salenko in the Russian national team kit runs with the ball during a 1994 World Cup match](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/19/oleg-salenko-pentatrick-1994-dollars-pool-story/oleg-salenko-pentatrick-1994-dollars-pool-story-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Oleg Salenko scored five goals in a 1994 World Cup match against Cameroon, becoming the only player with such an achievement in World Cup history
- During the game, Salenko did not think about records, focusing on the result in 40-degree heat
- He learned about the record back at the base, where a delegation official was throwing dollars into the pool
- The next morning, hotel staff drained the pool and collected all the banknotes

Forward Oleg Salenko, in an exclusive interview with Sport RBC.UA, spoke about the events that followed his legendary penta-trick at the 1994 World Cup in the USA. By scoring five goals in a single World Cup match against the Cameroon national team, the striker forever etched his name into world football history. However, as the player's own recollections revealed, this unique achievement was backed not only by a tense 90 minutes on the pitch, but also by amusing episodes that unfolded after the final whistle.

### Playing in 40-degree heat without thoughts of records

Salenko himself admits that during the match he did not even think about possible records. His main task was to secure a result for the team under extreme conditions — the stadium in USA was sweltering in 40-degree heat, which took a toll on every player on the pitch. That is why the forward focused exclusively on the game rather than statistics. He learned that he had become the only player in history to score five goals in a single World Cup match only upon returning to the team base, where a genuine festive atmosphere awaited the players.

### Dollars in the pool: how management celebrated the record

Salenko remembered the celebration of the record for an unusual action by one of the delegation's managers. According to the striker, universal euphoria reigned at the base, everyone was discussing what had happened, and the management was also rejoicing over the team's result. «I remember one of them having fun by the pool, scattering dollar bills right into the water,» the former footballer recalls. This episode, he said, became one of the brightest and most unforgettable moments of that trip.

### The morning after the celebration: an empty pool

However, the next morning brought an unexpected discovery for the team. The players, hoping to do some swimming after their morning jog, found that the pool was completely empty. As it turned out, the hotel staff proved to be equally resourceful: they drained the water and collected all the dollars thrown into it. «We were surprised, because we had planned to swim a bit after the jog. As it turned out, the hotel staff were no fools either,» Salenko said with a smile in the interview.

### A broader context of the interview

The conversation with the legend of Ukrainian football was not limited solely to memories of the 1994 World Cup. In the full interview, Salenko also spoke about the difficulties of his transfer to Dynamo Kyiv, working under the guidance of Valeriy Lobanovskyi, and playing abroad. These themes complement the career portrait of one of the most brilliant forwards in the history of domestic football, whose name still remains a synonym for record-breaking scoring at major world tournaments.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Пять голов на ЧМ и доллары в бассейне: легенда "Динамо" вспомнил сумасшедшую ночь рекорда](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/football/p-yat-goliv-chs-ta-dolari-baseyni-legenda-1792398929.html) - Original source — an exclusive interview with Oleg Salenko. The fact of the penta-trick at the 1994 World Cup against Cameroon is a universally recognized historical fact. The story with the pool and dollars is the player's personal recollection given in the interview.

## FAQ

### How many goals did Oleg Salenko score at the 1994 World Cup?

In the match against Cameroon at the 1994 World Cup, Salenko scored five goals, which is the only penta-trick in the history of World Cup matches.

### When did Salenko find out about his record?

According to the footballer himself, he learned about the record-breaking achievement after returning to the base, where a festive atmosphere prevailed.

### What happened to the dollars in the pool?

One of the delegation's managers threw dollar bills into the pool during the celebration. The next morning, hotel staff drained the water and collected all the money, preventing the players from swimming after their jog.

### What other topics were discussed in Salenko's interview?

In addition to memories of the 1994 World Cup, the forward spoke about the difficulties of moving to Dynamo Kyiv, working with coach Valeriy Lobanovskyi, and playing abroad.