Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski can rightly be said to be one of the most underrated footballers in Europe based on recent statistics.
Football’s popular media seems not to have done justice to Robert Lewandowski and his heroics in the sport.
Over the years, the hype has been more about Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and other upcoming stars like Haaland and Mbappe.
However, recent statistics by Transfermarkt have shown why Robert Lewandowski is one of the most, if not the most underrated, footballers in Europe.
The Poland international ranks top on the list of footballers with the highest rate of Champions League goals.
How Robert Lewandowski compares with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, others
Robert Lewandowski ranks top of the chart of footballers with the most Champions League goals per match
Cristiano Ronaldo recently bagged his honors as the player with the most UEFA Champions League goals. The footballing legend tallies a record 140 goals in 183 Champions League matches.
He is closely followed by his arch-rival and Argentina iconic footballer Lionel Messi, who has 122 goals in 163 matches. Robert Lewandowski comes third with 92 goals in 122 matches.
Much of the hype has been about the number of goals each player can muster in the competition. However, a different angle to the narrative has shown Robert Lewandowski is far more proficient in front of goals than the duo in the elite club competition in recent years. The 33-year-old ranks top of the chart of players with great goal rates in the competition in the past five years.
Robert Lewandowski stats in UEFA Champions League
Robert Lewandowski’s goal rate in UEFA Champions League stands at 1.00. This implies he has scored at least one goal in every UEFA Champions League match he has played in the past five years.
On the contrary, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who are the top two highest goalscorers in the competition are ranked 8th and 10th on the chart with a 0.68 and 0.63 rate, respectively.
This delineates the increased relevance of Robert Lewandowski in the European football scene in the past five years. The Barcelona forward has completed favorably well with fast-rising youngsters in the sport.
However, it is pertinent to note both Ronaldo and Lionel Messi fell off the pecking after being phased out of the game in Europe as they approach the twilight of their careers. Cristiano Ronaldo last played a Champions League match in 2022 for Manchester United. Lionel Messi last featured for PSG in the Champions League in 2023.
Nonetheless, the statistics show that Robert Lewandowski is still at par with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo’s heroics in the UEFA Champions League. Lewandowski’s overall goal rate in the competition stands at 0.78 – two points better than Cristiano Ronaldo, whose rate is 0.76 and a point less than Lionel Messi’s 0.79 tally.
Erling Haaland rocks second on goal rate but is off the top 10 scorers in the UEFA Champions League
Erling Haaland is yet to break into the UEFA Champions League top 10 highest-goal scorers. However, he is second on the list of players with the highest goal rate. After Robert Lewandowski with 1.00, Haaland boasts 0.98, just two points behind Lewandowski.
The Manchester City sensation has scored Champions League goals and is tipped to continue his elite-level performances in the competition.
Other Footballers with prolific goal rates in UEFA Champions League
Apart from Robert Lewandowski, other top players with good records in the competition are French duo Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema. Kylian Mbappe is seventh on the chart with 49 Champions League goals in 74 games. Benzema sits sixth with 90 goals in 152 matches.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah completes the top 10 top scorers list with 44 goals in 80 matches. Notably, Salah is off the top 10 list of players with the most goal rates in the competition.
Benzema and Mbappe are present. The French footballers sit 5th and 6th on the chart with 0.79 and 0.73 goal rates.
Another intriguing and surprising aspect of the stats is that only Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski have more goal rates than Borussia Dortmund forward Sebastian Haller. Haller boasts a 0.86 goal rate but has played far fewer matches (14) than Lewandowski and Haaland.
