By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Robert Lewandowski is a Bundesliga champion, a UEFA Champions League winner, and a record breaker. And this week, the Poland international was named Striker of the Year. Lewandowski has developed into a world–renowned superstar, over 10 years at the top of the Bundesliga.
The Talent
• It is fair to say that Lewandowski was born with the potential for a career in professional sports: his father was a European junior judo champion and his mother played volleyball in Poland’s top league.
• In the summer of 2010, Borussia Dortmund signed Lewandowski from Polish club Lech Poznań.
• The attacker registered his first goal for the Black and Yellows against the dream opposition. Scoring in the emotional and world–famous Revierderby against FC Schalke 04, Lewandowski helped his team to a 3–1 away victory.
• Although Lewandowski was mainly used as a substitute in his first season, he quickly became one of Dortmund’s most dangerous weapons off the bench. At the end of 2010–11 campaign, Dortmund were crowned Bundesliga champions.
The Development
• In the following season Lewandowski continued to develop under coach Jürgen Klopp, breaking the record for the most goals scored by a Polish player in one Bundesliga season (22).
• In the league, Dortmund came out on top again, achieving their second consecutive Meisterschale trophy.
• But it got even better: Lewandowski and Dortmund crowned this special season by winning the DFB Cup and clinching the first double in the club’s history. Lewandowski played a crucial role in this fixture, scoring a hat–trick in a 5–2 victory over rivals FC Bayern München in the final.
• During the following 2012–13 season, Lewandowski also became a household name in European football: with four goals in the semi–final of the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid, the striker led Dortmund’s charge to the final. That year was very special for Bundesliga clubs in the European competition. In addition to Borussia Dortmund, FC Bayern München also reached the final, setting the stage for a Klassiker at the highest level of European football. On the night, it was Bayern who came out on top with a 2–1 win at Wembley.
• Lewandowski finished his fourth and final season in Dortmund as the Bundesliga’s top scorer for the first time – but needless to say this was not the last time. In total, the world–class striker has been named top scorer six times to date.
The Superstar
• For the 2014–15 season, Lewandowski joined Bundesliga record champions FC Bayern München. Since his arrival, the team has won the Meisterschale every single year.
• Having already surpassed the 50–goal mark at Dortmund, Lewandowski soon followed up by reaching a total of 100 Bundesliga goals in 2015–16 and 200 goals in 2018–19. Today, he is just nine goals short of reaching the 300 goals mark.
The Record–Breaker
• On September 22, 2015, Lewandowski came on as a substitute for Bayern in the second half against VfL Wolfsburg on Matchday 6. At 1–0 down, he scored five goals between the 51st and 60th minutes. This was the fastest five–goal haul in Bundesliga history (8 minutes, 59 seconds), the first by a substitute, and incidentally, the fastest uninterrupted hat–trick and the fastest four–goal haul in Bundesliga history.
• Under the direction of Hansi Flick, Lewandowski played a key role in leading his team to the most successful season in the history of FC Bayern München. By the end of the 2019–20 season, the Bavarians had claimed all six possible club football titles – and Lewandowski finished as the top scorer in the Bundesliga, DFB Cup and in the UEFA Champions League.
• It is in Lewandowski’s DNA to make the impossible possible: on the final matchday of the 2020–21 season, the Pole scored his 41st goal in a Bundesliga season – beating the longstanding 40 goal record of Bundesliga legend Gerd Müller. Despite being out injured for several games in the final stretch of the season, Lewandowski achieved this incredible feat – ultimately, scoring 41 goals in just 29 games.
• Lewandowski is the Bundesliga’s all–time top foreign scorer with 291 goals. This also puts him second on the list of the Bundesliga’s all–time top goal scorers – only Gerd Müller ranks ahead of him.
The World’s Best
• In 2020, Lewandowski was honoured with The Best FIFA Men’s Player and UEFA Men’s Player of the Year awards.
• And this year, Lewandowski has become the first player ever to win “Striker of the Year” at the Ballon d’Or 2021 awards ceremony in Paris.
The Numbers
• Bundesliga Appearances: 363
• Bundesliga Goals: 291
• Bundesliga Titles: 9
• DFB Cup Goals: 39
• DFB Cup Titles: 4
• UEFA Champions League Goals: 82
• UEFA Champions League Titles: .