Lethal Lewan fuelling Bayern charge
BERLIN — Robert Lewandowski shot to the top of the Bundesliga scoring charts with a hat-trick on Saturday as Bayern Munich’s Polish ace continued his hot streak for club and country.
It was the 28-year-old’s fourth Bayern treble this season as the Bavarians battered Augsburg 6-0.
The striker also produced a fine all-round performance, creating goals for Thomas Mueller and Thiago Alcantara.
“He scored three goals and set up two more, what more can I say about him?” beamed Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti after the Augsburg rout.
“I am happy to have a striker like that who scores in more or less every game.”
Lewandowski has netted eight times in five games for Poland this season, on top of his 36 goals for Bayern in all competitions.
Saturday’s haul came after he also scored for his country in last Sunday’s 2-1 win over Montenegro to leave Poland six points clear in its World Cup qualifying group.
Lewandowski was last season’s Bundesliga top scorer and is now level on 24 goals with Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in his bid to retain the crown.
The lean, mean scoring machine, nicknamed “The Body” at Bayern, has developed into one of the world’s top finishers.
His toned physique comes from a strict diet and his pregnant wife Anna — a former karate international for Poland — is a personal trainer.
“He is the most professional player I have ever met,” enthused Pep Guard io la, An ce lot ti’ s predecessor at Bayern.
“In his head, he thinks about the right food, sleep and training – 24 hours a day.
“He is always there, never injured, because he focuses on these things. He always knows what is important to be in the best condition.”
There was always a top athlete lurking in Lewandowski’s DNA.
His father, Krystof, was a Polish judo champion, who also played soccer in the country’s second division, while his mother, Iwona, was a professional volleyball player.
Lewandowski’s career took off when he finished top scorer in the third and then second divisions at Warsaw-based Znicz Pruszkow, who won back-to-back promotions in 2007 and 2008.
A move to Lech Poznan followed, and he hit 18 goals to help it win the 2009-10 Polish top-flight title in his second season.
‘Gifted playmaker’
Lewandowski came to global attention when he joined Borussia Dortmund in 2010 and an injury to Paraguay striker Lucas Barrios handed him a starting berth.
“I could tell right away that he was the most interesting player to come out of Poland for 20 years,” said Dortmund’s then-coach Jurgen Klopp.
“He has all the skills you want from a striker, particularly physical strength and great finishing.
“But he also has the technique of a gifted midfield player. When he gets the ball in the middle of the pitch and distributes it to the wing, it’s like watching a playmaker.”
Silverware soon followed for Lewandowski with Dortmund in the form of the 201011 Bundesliga title and the 2011-12 league and cup double.
His hat-trick against current employer Bayern in the 2012 German Cup final sealed Dortmund’s 5-2 win as it won the double for the first time in its history.
In the 2012-13 campaign he became the first player to score four goals in a Champions League semifinal in a 4-1 first-leg win over Real Madrid.
Dortmund, though, ultimately lost the Wembley final to Bayern.
When his contract expired at Dortmund, Bayern snapped up Lewandowski in June 2014. He won the league in his first season in Bavaria and excelled in the next campaign, too.
The forward broke the 30-goal barrier in the Bundesliga last term, five of those coming in an incredible nineminute spell when Bayern thumped Wolfsburg 5-1.
If Bayern repeats its 2013 treble of European, Bundesliga and German Cup titles this season, Lewandowski’s goals will be at the heart of its success.
I am happy to have a striker like that who scores in more or less every game.” Carlo Ancelotti, Bayern coach