POLE POSTION
Bayern’s superstar striker Lewandowski at top of his game
WHILE the goals were flying into Barcelona’s sadsad net as Bayern Munich ran riot in Lisbon, Robert Lewandowski was waiting for his moment.
He knew it would come, of course, because it always does.
And when it duly arrived as Barcelona’s defence crumbled there was no fuss or drama.
His close- range header was clinically taken after losing his marker for his 54th goal of the season for the German champions.
It’s a pattern the Polish superstriker has been repeating since his early days before his big break came with a move to Borussia Dortmund in 2010 for a bargain £4million.
And with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo licking their wounds after being knocked out, it’s why the 31- year- old scoring machine is now the most dangerous goals-per-game striker left in the Champions League.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Brazilian star Neymar is up there with 372 goals in 594 games for club and country. But Lewandowski’s 496 in 766 matches puts him fourth in the modern-day list of strikers with the best ratio behind Ronaldo, Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
To stay in that superstar bracket Lewandowski admits he’s constantly evolving his game like all great players do – and discovering new ways to torture defenders.
“I cannot say it’s only one thing to be a top striker. You need this feeling inside of course, that’s very important – it’s in your DNA,” he said. “But now, in modern football, for the striker it’s not just about being strong, fast or having a good technique.
“You need all of those and more.
“You need everything.
“When I was younger, maybe 19 or
20, that was the first time when I was thinking football can be my life and my job.
“At Lech Poznan
I was thinking about being 100 per cent focused on football and dreaming to play for a big team. I have achieved a ll thos e ambitions but even now I have to be ready every time I step on the pitch.
“You have to fight, you have to try and do s omet h i n g new all the time. You can’t be thinking you already are the best.
“If you are thinking you are the best in the world you are already done – you have to be better all the time.”
That total focus and dedication is what sets Lewandowski apart from other strikers and has made him a legend at Bayern Munich.
And while he admits some players like to entertain fans with their skills – he is only interested in grabbing goals.
“Sometimes players love to do skills on the pitch for the supporters, but for me I’m thinking I give more happiness if I score. That is why I’m always l ooki ng to score.”
The Polish poacher has broken goal records galore in Germany but two games stand out for Lewandowski.
“The first moment was when I scored four against Real Madrid in the 2013 Champions League semi-finals,” he added
“That not only changed me as a player but it changed my life as well! No one had scored four goals in the semi’s before so that was amazing.
“Then when I scored five goals in the Bundesliga against Wolfsburg in nine minutes after coming on as a substitute my life went crazy again.
“I never knew I could be happy over something like that.
“It was all so strange I needed the time to process it – it was crazy!
“I never even did that on PlayStation and I do it in a really important game!”
HEAD BOY: Pole nods in against Barcelona