Yet another hat trick, this time in a 10-man demolition of Stuttgart, moves Robert Lewandowski closer to a record that's stood for nearly 50 years. But even before he reaches that milestone, his numbers are staggering.
Robert Lewandowski is on course to break Gerd Müller's scoring recordImage: Matthias Balk/REUTERS
Advertisement
After Alphonso Davies was sent off 12 minutes in with the scores still deadlocked, Stuttgart must've felt they had a chance of taking something from the Allianz Arena on Saturday.
Three chances, three shots and three goals from Robert Lewandowski later, with a Serge Gnabry effort thrown in for good measure, it became another exercise in damage limitation. The 4-0 scoreline Bayern had on 39 minutes was the one they ended with.
Lewandowski stabbed home Gnabry's driven ball for the first, headed Thomas Müller's cross in to the top corner for the second and danced through the visiting defense to score his third with a low drive.
That effort was number 35 for the Bundesliga season, leaving him five short of equaling Gerd Müller's record for goals in a single season (1971-72). There are eight games left this season. Whether he does or not, and it's difficult to bet against him, at 32 he is only getting more lethal. Here are just a few indicators of his incredible plundering.
7 - Teams who have scored less goals than Lewandowski this year
5 - Times as many goals as second-placed RB Leipzig's top scorer, Angelino.
4 - Hat tricks this season, one of which saw him score 4.
3 - Times he's started and failed to score in the current campaign.
1 - Bundesliga team he has failed to score against this season, RB Leipzig, who Bayern play next weekend.
60 - Minutes per goal, on average.
5 - Amount of times he's finished the season as the Bundesliga's top scorer, including the last three.
0 - Games missed through injury in 2020-21.
6 - Seasons in a row he's passed the 20 goal mark. He also did it in three of his four seasons at Dortmund.
197 - League goals for Bayern, in 215 games.
The top 10 Champions League goalscorers
From Mbappe and Lewandowski to Müller, the top 10 all-time Champions League goalscorers list is full of stars.
Image: Manu Fernandez/dpa/picture alliance
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 48 goals
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 48 goals in the Champions League have been spread over six different clubs: Ajax (6 goals), Juventus (3), Inter Milan (6), Barcelona (4), AC Milan (9) and Paris Saint-Germain (20). Despite all that club hopping - he also played for Manchester United, although he didn't score - he never managed to be with the right team at the right time to lift the Champions League trophy.
Image: Reuters
Kylian Mbappe – 49 goals
After bursting on the scene as a young star at Monaco and then establishing himself at Paris St. Germain, French superstar Kylian Mbappe is already climbing the all-time Champions League scorer list. The 25-year-old bagged a remarkable 42 goals in 64 games for PSG on the biggest European stage, and has already scored in the competition for his new club Real Madrid.
Image: Federico Titone/Anadolu/picture alliance
Thierry Henry – 50 goals
The French striker cracked the half-century mark over his long career in the Champions League, finding the back of the net for three clubs: Monaco (7 goals), Arsenal (35) and Barcelona (8). Having won the World Cup with France in 1998, Henry would also go on to win the Champions League with Barca in 2008-09.
At 34, Thomas Müller is still rising up the ranks of the top 10. At the age of 19, Müller scored his first Champions League goals for Bayern Munich in a 7-1 win over Sporting Lisbon in March 2009. He won the Champions League twice with Bayern, in 2012-13 and 2019-20 and keeps scoring as he ages. (*as of September 28, 2021)
Image: Frank Hoermann/Sven Simon/IMAGO
Ruud van Nistelrooy – 56 goals
Dutch striker Rutgerus Johannes Martinus van Nistelrooij scored for three clubs in the Champions League: PSV Eindhoven (8 goals), Manchester United (35) and Real Madrid (13). Van Nistelrooy failed to win a Champions League title, but he was the top scorer in Europe's top competition in three different seasons.
Image: Martin Rickett/empics/picture alliance
Raul – 71 goals
Raul is truly a legend at Real Madrid. The long-time captain made more appearances for Real than any other player, with 550 games in La Liga and 132 in the Champions League. He also led Real to the Champions League title three times. Raul scored five of his 71 Champions League goals during his two-year stint with Schalke in the twilight of his career.
Image: Daniel Ochoa de Olza/AP/picture alliance
Karim Benzema - 90 goals
The Frenchman now plays in Saudi Arabia, but made his scoring debut in the Champions League for Lyon at the tender age of 18. Benzema left Lyon in 2009 to become one of Real Madrid's ost prolific strikers, helping them lift the Champions League trophy four times. He has a total of 90 goals in Europe's most prestigious club competition, 78 of them scored in the white of Madrid.
Image: Pierre-Philippe Marcou/AFP
Robert Lewandowski - 99 goals*
In third place in the all-time scorer's list is The Best FIFA Men's Player of 2020, Robert Lewandowski. The Poland striker secured that honor in part by becoming the top scorer in the Champions League in the 2019/20 with 15 goals. Over his Champions League career he has scored 17 goals for Borussia Dortmund, 69 times for Bayern and currently has managed 13 for Barcelona. (*as of November 7, 2024)
Image: Isabella Bonotto/Anadolu/picture alliance
Lionel Messi - 129 goals
Lionel Messi might be playing for Inter Miami now in the MLS, but few can forget how good he was for Barcelona. The diminutive Argentine scored 120 goals in his Champions League career with the Spanish club, finishing the competition's top scorer six times and winning three titles. His last tournament outing was for PSG, but his nine goals were never accompanied by a title.
Image: imago images/PanoramiC
Cristiano Ronaldo - 140 goals
It's no coincidence that the Portuguese superstar has won the Champions League five times. Wherever he has played, whether it be Manchester United (21 goals), Real Madrid (105) or Juventus (14) – Cristiano Ronaldo has always found the back of the net. Although no longer playing in Europe, Ronaldo is the undisputed top scorer in Europe's top club competition.
