BEVERLY HILLS, January 24, (THEWILL) – The remarkable Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski hit his 23rd Bundesliga goal of the season as Bayern Munich straightaway dispatched Schalke 4-0 to go seven points clear at the top of the Bundesliga standings in their Round 18 match at the VELTINS-Arena.
The goal was the Pole’s eighth in eight consecutive away league games as his impressive season continues with no brakes effective enough to slow down his determined drive to tear up the record books. The goals tally is so breathtaking that it will be unwise to bet against him winning the European golden shoe this season, especially as things stand with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
There are fans who believe he has successfully bridged the gap to those two legends, while many pundits will argue against placing him on an equal pedestal with the pair. However, there is no point arguing how good the stats are in his favour, making it a very close call between both of them and him.
In their game last Sunday, Lewandowski beat a long-standing Bundesliga goals-record held by Gerd Muller with the goal that broke the deadlock against Freiburg.
The striker, whose goals and general contribution played a significant role in Bayern’s overly successful treble run last season, found the back of the net an incredible 55 times in 47 games across all competitions. The spread of his goals made them even more outstanding with 34 alone in the German top flight.
Unfortunately, the Pole narrowly missed out on the European Golden Shoe by one goal which placed him behind Ciro Immobile of Serie A side Lazio.
World cup-winning Muller had a record of netting 20 goals in the first half of a single German top-flight season, a record which stood firm for 42 years. Lewandowski struck against Freiburg to bring it to nought.
The Poland international, who undoubtedly secured a place alongside the Bayern legend in the club’s decorated hall of fame a long time ago, is now making a case to be remembered as the greatest striker of his generation bar none.
His sterling performance in Germany and Europe last season gave him FIFA’s The Best Men’s Player award. He has not slowed down this season and is on course for more personal accolades if he continues on his current trajectory with the tenacity at which he is crumbling records to dust.
Sadly, Lewandowski could not add the Ballon d’Or to his collection of silverware for 2020 as the latest ceremony was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic just when he was considered the most deserving. That cancellation effectively robbed him of the golden opportunity to end the decades long stranglehold over that prestigious prize held by the pair of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
If his current form goes on, there will be another opportunity for him to add that coveted gong to his growing and astounding haul of individual and collective prizes while silencing those who still do not reckon him worthy to be considered one of the greatest to ever play the game.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
