Lethal Lewandowski fuelling Bayern charge
Robert Lewandowski’s hat-trick on Saturday brought him level in the race to be the Bundesliga’s top scorer this season and Bayern Munich’s Poland star is on fire for club and country. The 28-year-old striker netted his fourth hat-trick for Bayern this season in Saturday’s 6-0 drubbing of Augsburg in a masterclass performance in which he also created goals for Thomas Muller 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 scored eight goals in five games for Poland in 2016/17 on top of netting 36 times for Bayern in all competitions. His hat-trick against Augsburg came after he also netted in last Sunday’s 2-1 win over Montenegro to leave Poland six points clear in their World Cup qualifying group.
He is now level on 24 Bundesliga goals alongside Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in his bid to retain his crown as Germany’s top scorer.
The lean, mean goal-scoring machine is nicknamed “The Body” at Bayern and has developed into one of the world’s top strikers. 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 Guardiola, Ancelotti’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 football in the Polish second division, while his mother Iwona was a professional volleyball player. His professional career started when Lewandowski 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 followed to Lech Poznan and he hit 18 goals to help them win the 2009/10 Polish league title in his second season.—AFP