Robert Lewandowski breaks all-time Bundesliga scoring record
May 22, 2021
Robert Lewandowski's last minute goal against Augsburg was his 41st of the season, a new Bundesliga record. The previous record of 40 goals, set by another Bayern legend Gerd Müller, had stood for 49 years.
Robert Lewandowski celebrates his record-breaking 41st Bundesliga goal of the seasonImage: Christof Stache/AFP/Getty Images
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It was starting to look like it wouldn’t happen, but it’s rarely possible to suppress Robert Lewandowski's quality. The Pole strengthened his claim as Bayern Munich's and the Bundesliga's greatest ever goalscorer with his 41st goal of the season on Saturday — no player has scored more in a single season.
The previous record had stood for a season short of a half century, set by another legendary Bayern striker, Gerd Müller. "Der Bomber" scored 40 in a sensational campaign in the 1971-72 season, just when the Germany legend was at the peak of his powers. It was a record that had appeared destined to stand forever, but it’s finally been broken.
"I really have no words to describe this," Lewandowski said after Bayern's 5-2 win over Augsburg on Saturday. "When you try over 90 minutes to score a goal and it is just not happening and then with the last kick of the game you score then it feels absolutely amazing. I am very happy. This is certainly a highlight in my career."
Augsburg had looked to have kept the Polish striker at bay on a rare afternoon that he had not been among the goalscorers despite Bayern leading 4-2. The man in the opposition goal was Lewandowski’s compatriot Rafal Gikiewicz, who was starting to frustrate his international colleague. But when Gikiewicz failed to hold a shot from Leroy Sane in the last minute, it fell kindly for Lewandowski.
"It was difficult for me to remain patient," Lewandowski said. "But I kept believing that the situation might come and I would have to be ready for it. You have to fight for a record. It does not come easy. I want to thank the team because they are part of this record. It is a special moment, a historic moment."
The achievement even triggered a response from Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who couldn’t hide his joy with a Facebook post that read: "Yes! Yes! Yes! Robert Lewandowski has done it! 41 goals in one Bundesliga season! A goal in the last seconds of the match. He is a legend!"
The moment Lewandowski scored his historic goal.Image: Bernd Feil/M.i.S./imago images
Lewandowski is a legend, and not just in his homeland. He’s won every trophy on offer at Bayern and has been synonymous with the club’s unprecedented run of success in the past decade.
There is one more record of Müller’s that Lewandowski will now have in his sights and that’s the big one: most Bundesliga goals of all time. Müller has 365 and Lewandowski is 88 goals back with 277, spanning his time with Borussia Dortmund, too.
If Lewandowski can remain clear of serious injury in his remaining years, few would bet against the 32-year-old bypassing that milestone too.
From Lewandowski to Müller: Bundesliga all-time records
Forty goals in a season. A 12-0 win. A goal after nine seconds. Almost 900 minutes without allowing a goal. Bundesliga players and clubs have set records that have stood the test of time.
Image: Tom Weller/dpa/picture alliance
Most goals in a season
Despite missing five games (four due to injury) Robert Lewandowski still managed to eclipse Gerd Müller's single season mark of 40 goals. Thanks to a last-minute goal against Augsburg on the final day, the Pole scored his 41st of the season — one better than the record set by Gerd Müller in 1971-72.
Image: Christian Kolbert/kolbert-press/imago images
Most goals ever
In his 427 Bundesliga games for Bayern Munich between 1965 and 1979, Gerd Müller scored a remarkable 365 goals — a record for the ages. He scored more than once in 87 different games, including 32 hat tricks, 10 four-goal games and four five goal games — all league records.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Sven Simon
Most championships
Franck Ribery was able to hoist the Bundesliga trophy one more time in May 2019 before his 12-year stint at Bayern Munich came to an end. It was the ninth time the Frenchman was a German champion, the most league titles for a single player. For clubs, Bayern have won the most league championships with 29.
Image: Imago Images/Lackovic
Most games, player
Karl-Heinz "Charly" Körbel took the field 602 times in the Bundesliga from 1972 to 1991. What's more? He made all of his appearances for Eintracht Frankfurt.
Image: Imago Images
Most games, head coach
No Bundesliga coach led as many clubs as Otto Rehhagel. At Offenbach, Bremen, Dortmund, Bielefeld, Düsseldorf, Bayern and Kaiserslautern, "King Otto" coached in 832 Bundesliga games. He won two league titles with Bremen and one with Kaiserslautern.
Image: Imago Images
Fastest goal
This record is shared by two Leverkusen players. Karim Bellarabi (right), scored a goal just nine seconds after the opening whistle against Dortmund in August 2014. One year later, Kevin Volland (left), then still playing for Hoffenheim, scored one just as quick against Bayern Munich.
Image: picture-alliance/G. Kirchner/D. Inderlied
Fastest five-goal performance
Despite being subbed on at halftime, Bayern Munich goalscorer Robert Lewandowski scored five goals in a 5-1 win over Wolfsburg in September 2015. He scored all of them in a span of 8 minutes and 59 seconds. That goal onslaught also set records for the fastest hat trick and fastest four-goal performance in Bundesliga history.
Image: Getty Images/Alex Grimm
Most goals in one game
Cologne's Dieter Müller scored one more than Lewandowski did in August 1977 against Werder Bremen. It remains the only six-goal game in Bundesliga history. Müller scored the six goals between the 12th minute and 85th minute of a game that ended 7-2.
Image: Imago Images/Horstmüller
Biggest margin of victory
Borussia Mönchengladbach was in second place — tied on points with Cologne and 10 goals behind in goal difference — before the last game of the season on April 29, 1978. The Foals did everything they could against Borussia Dortmund to close the gap — Jupp Heynckes accounted for five of the goals by himself. But Cologne still became league champions after winning 5-0 over St. Pauli.
Image: Imago Images/T. Zimmermann
Most yellow cards
16 yellow cards: This single-season record is held jointly by Paderborn's Klaus Gjasula (right) and Duisburg's Tomasz Hajto. Gjasula in 2019-20 has equaled Hajto's mark from 1998-99, and the Paderborn midfielder has a good chance of breaking it with four games still to play this term. Steffen Effenberg holds the career record, seeing 114 yellow cards during his 370-game career.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Gentsch
Most red cards
Jens Nowotny (second from left) and Luis Gustavo hold this negative record. Both were sent to the dressing room early eight times in their Bundesliga careers. Nowotny, who played for Karlsruhe and Leverkusen in the German top-flight, was shown straight red five times and a second yellow three times. Gustavo, who played for Hoffenheim, Bayern and Wolfsburg, saw only one straight red.
Image: Imago Images/MIS
Fastest red card
Subbed on, came onto the field, stopped suddenly, red card, sent off. That was the day for Frankfurt's Marcel Titsch-Rivero (left) in Dortmund on May 14, 2011. His was on the field for 43 seconds, and no player in the Bundesliga has seen a red card faster. The earliest red card was shown to Cologne's Youssef Mohamad; in August 2010, he was sent off 93 seconds after kickoff against Kaiserslautern.
Image: picture-alliance/GES-Sportfoto/M. Gilliar
Most career own goals
Nikolce Noveski (256 Bundesliga games for Mainz) and Manfred Kaltz (581 for Hamburg) each scored six own goals in their Bundesliga careers. Noveski (pictured) put the ball in his own net twice over a span of 132 seconds against Eintracht Frankfurt in 2005, but scored at the correct end in the 2-2 draw. His assessment: "Nevertheless, my first hat trick!"
Image: Imago Images/J. Huebner
Longest stretch without conceding
Stuttgart goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand didn't allow a goal for the first 884 minutes of his 2003-04 season. It wasn't until Matchday 9 that he finally fished a ball out of his own net. Werder Bremen's Angelos Charisteas was the one who broke the streak, but Stuttgart won the game in the end 3-1.
Image: picture-alliance/Pressefoto ULMER/M. Ulmer
Oldest player
On May 21, 1988 at the spry age of 43 years and 184 days, Klaus "Tanne" Fichtel took the field for the last time in the Bundesliga for Schalke. Fichtel, who played for the Royal Blues and Werder Bremen, made his first of 552 Bundesliga appearances on August 14, 1965.
Image: Imago Images
Youngest player
Youssoufa Moukoko broke Nuri Sahin's record when he made his top-flight debut for Borussia Dortmund against Hertha Berlin on 22 November 2020, just one day after turning 16. A few games later, Moukoko even got on the scoresheet.
Image: Annegret Hilse/REUTERS
Youngest goalscorer
Having made his debut just a day after turning 16, Borussia Dortmund's Youssoufa Moukoko didn't have to wait long before he became the youngest goalscorer in Bundesliga history. His strike against Union Berlin came in a Dortmund loss, but broke Florian Wirtz's record and showed the league of the youngster's talent.
