All You Need to Know About Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski has established himself as one of the finest strikers in Europe over the past few years, thanks to his incredible goalscoring record at both domestic and international level. However, he wasn’t always this good, and indeed there were times when the Polish striker was hardly considered one of the best in his own league, let alone in the world. What’s even more surprising is that he played in completely different positions before joining Borussia Dortmund and becoming one of the most feared goal-scorers in modern football.
Facts
Born in Poland, he has a record of 23 goals in his last 16 games. In 2015 he was named Bundesliga Player of The Year. Was given his current jersey number at Dortmund when Lucas Barrios left for Shakhtar Donetsk. The number 9 shirt is iconic among footballers because it signifies leadership and authority, characteristics that Lewandowski embodies on and off the pitch. He is one of only two players to have scored four goals in a single Champions League match. He wears Nike Hypervenom Phantom II boots.
Early life
Born in Warsaw, Poland, Lewandowski started his career at Hutnik Warszawa before moving to Lech Poznań. In 2007 he joined Borussia Dortmund II. Two years later he was promoted to their senior team after impressive performances and scoring five goals in six matches against them. In his first season with Borussia Dortmund’s senior team, he scored 10 goals and provided seven assists which was followed by 19 goals and four assists during the 2010–11 season. For his performances, he was awarded Bundesliga Player of the Month for November 2010.
Career statistics
In his first season in Munich, he finished as second-highest goalscorer with 20 goals (eight behind leader Gerd Müller). During his final season at Dortmund, he was tied for third place with 16 goals. That same year, Lewandowski scored five hat-tricks in official competitions – three times in Bundesliga and twice in DFB-Pokal. In May 2016, Lewandowski became Bayern’s all-time leading scorer in European competition with 22 goals.[85] On 15 April 2017, Lewandowski overtook Mehmet Scholl’s record of 136 headed goals in official club matches.
Honours
Lewandowski came off contract at Dortmund for pre-season in July 2014 and was linked with a possible transfer. In August, Borussia Dortmund rejected an offer of €25 million from Bayern Munich. On 1 September 2014, Lewandowski signed a five-year contract with Bayern until 2019. He moved for a reported fee of €30 million, which set a new record transfer fee between two German clubs, surpassing Mesut Özil’s 2013 move from Real Madrid to Arsenal by €500,000. He chose to wear number 9 instead of his favoured 11 and did not renew his association with Dr. Bongartz as part of his move because Bongartz also serves as medical staff for rivals Bayer Leverkusen.
International goals
Born in Poland, Lewandowski grew up in his native city of Warsaw. He began his professional career playing for multiple clubs in Poland at a young age, before moving to German Bundesliga club Lech Poznan in 2006, where he played as an attacking midfielder. His breakout season came in 2010–11, with 18 goals and seven assists from 31 matches. This prompted Borussia Dortmund to sign him ahead of their 2011–12 campaign, with his contract running until 2014. During his time there, he helped them win two consecutive league titles in 2012–13 and 2013–14. In 2015, he joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer and won another league title during his first season there. Internationally, Lewandowski has earned over 70 caps for Poland since 2008, making him their all-time top scorer. As well as being selected in every squad for Euro 2008 through 2016 (except when suspended), he was also chosen by current manager Adam Nawalka to be captain of the team prior to Euro 2016 qualifying. During qualification, Lewandowski scored 10 goals which included two hat-tricks against Armenia and Georgia respectively.
Style of play
A tall and physically imposing centre-forward, Lewandowski is known for his quick reactions, positioning, ability in the air and accurate finishing ability with either foot. A prolific goalscorer with good technique, Lewandowski has also drawn praise for his movement off the ball.
Personal life
Born in Warsaw, Poland, Lewandowski began his career at Legia Warsaw. In 2007, he moved to Lech Poznań and became one of their star players. By 2009, he was voted into first place of Ekstraklasa Best XI thanks to his performances during that season. This earned him a transfer to Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund in 2010. With them, he won four consecutive league titles between 2010 and 2014. In 2013–14, he scored 24 goals in 31 matches. He signed for Bayern Munich on 1 July 2014 on a five-year contract for an undisclosed fee.[2] The fee is believed to be around €30 million.[3] At Bayern Munich, Lewandowski has achieved great success: winning six trophies including three consecutive Bundesliga titles (2014–15, 2015–16 and 2016–17), two DFB-Pokal trophies (2015 and 2017) as well as one UEFA Champions League trophy (2013–14). He has also been named Polish Player of the Year seven times: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 (awarded jointly with Jakub Błaszczykowski), 2016 and 2017.
Personal achievements
He has been honoured by numerous organizations for his performances. He was named in a 23-man shortlist for FIFA World Player of the Year in 2014, and finished third behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He has also twice been honoured as Polish Footballer of the Year (2012, 2015). On 22 December 2014, he was named on The Guardian’s Football Money League list of highest-earning footballers; being ranked ninth with earnings of €20 million. In 2014, Forbes listed him as one of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Athletes. ESPN FC ranked him as one of the world’s most famous athletes in 2016. In 2017, he was named Polish Sportsman of The Year. In addition to his native Polish, Lewandowski speaks German and English fluently. During an interview, he said that growing up in Berlin influenced him greatly: It wasn’t easy because I had a different skin colour than everyone else. But thanks to my football talent I was able to get out of that environment. He is currently in a relationship with Anna Stachurska. His older brother Marcin is also a footballer who plays for Znicz Pruszków in Poland’s fifth division.
