BEVERLY HILLS, May 23, (THEWILL) – On Sunday, January 24, when THEWILL reported the breaking of Gerd Muller’s 42-year-old Bundesliga goal-scoring record by none other than the inimitable Robert Lewandowski, who overtook Muller for the most goals in the first half of a single German top-flight season THEWILL had warned that if he continued on his current trajectory he was bound to crumble records to dust.
Lewandowski took the brakes off and stepped on the accelerator and another magnificent season after, the records have turned to dust with the sensational Polish striker engraving his name in their place. Yet, as he accepted the accolade for another record, Lewandowski was lost for words.
And well he would be after breaking another of Muller’s long-standing Bundesliga records, this time for most goals scored in a single season.
Although, Lewandowski later found his tongue to caution those saying this was his greatest achievement as it was still too soon to make that judgement call since, though he had a lengthy list of accomplishments, the match had only just ended.
In their previous Bundesliga game, Lewandowski equalled Muller’s previous benchmark of a 40-goal-season, which had stood unrivalled since the 1971/1972 season. He netted a penalty in Bayern’s 2-all draw against Freiburg, in that fixture, to reach 40.
For the entire match against Augsburg this Saturday, in the final tie of the 2020/2021season, it seemed as though Lewandowski was going to fall frustratingly short of outright history. Every attempt the Pole made to get that single extra goal to set a new record in his name was thwarted by Rafal Gikiewicz, in goal for Augsburg.
Fate smiled on Lewandowski, however, to reward him for his consistency and persistence, in a most dramatic twist at the very death of the match. Gikiewicz failed to keep a Leroy Sane strike, and who was there but Lewandowski to round the keeper and slot home.
It was the fifth goal for Bayern in the match but, most significantly, it was Lewandowski’s 41st league goal of the campaign to seal his place forever in history. In unfiltered joy, the Pole whipped off his shirt and went for a warm embrace with departing head coach Hansi Flick by the sidelines.
After the match ended, Lewandowski was spent but spoke to the media: “I have no words. I tried to score for 90 minutes, I tried everything – and it fell in the 90th minute. I am very, very happy.
“I wasn’t angry, but I was disappointed. I asked myself why the goal didn’t work out today.
“I saw that Leroy had shot, then I just speculated. I wanted to score earlier, of course, but I knew that the situation would come at some point. I also thank my team-mates for trying everything.”
He would not be drawn to calling it the greatest achievement in his career: “It was a special moment, it was historic. But I can’t even classify it so soon after the game.”
He concluded as the team player that he always is: “Thanks again to my team, they are also on my record.”
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
