On Saturday, Robert Lewandowski equalled the 50-year record held by Bayern Munich legend Gerd Müller by scoring his 40tht Bundesliga goal of this season against Freiburg at the Schwarzwald-Stadion.
HE'S DONE IT! 🔥🔥 ROBERT #LEWANG40LSKI. ⚽️🐐@Lewy_Official has matched Gerd Müller's legendary #Bundesliga record of 4️⃣0️⃣ goals in a single season. 🙌 @FCBayernEN pic.twitter.com/dk4hmRhxy7
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) May 15, 2021
Lewandowski has been a rich presence throughout his remarkable period at the Allianz Arena, with history-making endeavours cementing his place in the Bavarian and modern football folklore.
After his dazzling performances last season, many considered it to be only a matter of time before he matched the triumphs of Muller by turning out to be only the second man in the history of German top-flight football to reach the 40-goal mark in one season.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. #Lewy40 #4EverGerd pic.twitter.com/Ec0ZirZxvf
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) May 15, 2021
THE PATH TO HISTORY
Inarguably, the best player in the world last season with 55 goals in all competitions and a major part in Bayern winning the sextuple, the Polish striker’s campaign this season has slightly been injury-hit, with him missing crucial games in the Champions League which led to the crashing out of the Bavarian club in the quarterfinals against PSG.
Robert Lewandowski in the Bundesliga:
🔘 9 20+ goal seasons
🔘 5 30+ goal seasons
🆕 1 40+ goal seasonA modern day great. 🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/RSbkkCDsI6
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) May 15, 2021
In the league though, Lewandowski continues to wreck opponents like a train, by scoring goals left, right and centre. He has reached the 40-goal mark in just 28 games and top of that scored 5 goals in the Champions League group stages.
MULLER’S RECORD
Regarded as the most important player in Bayern Munich by World Cup winning captain Franz Beckenbauer, Gerd Müller created the record 50 years ago, in 1971-72, when he became the first player in the history of Bundesliga to score 40 goals in a single campaign.
Muller playing for Bayern Munich. (Image Courtesy: FC Bayern Munich / Website)
When asked about whether the former striker who feel sad if his record were broken, Uschi Müller, his wife said that her husband would not hold it against the Polish forward, and she is one hundred percent sure of that. Speaking to Sport Bild, she said,
“Quite the opposite: he would be the first to offer congratulations, to say: ‘Well done, boy. You did well’.”
Nicknamed “The Bomber”, Müller still holds the record of the highest number of goals scored in the Bundesliga with 365, Lewandowski is not far behind, after scoring his 267th against Freiburg and is still ageing like fine wine at the age of 32.
That would be one remarkable achievement if Lewandowski goes on to accomplish it.