A statistic has shown why Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski is likely the most underrated forwards in European football history.
Over the years, Cristiano Ronaldo and his arch-rival Lionel Messi have dominated the conversation on who is the best footballer in history with Robert Lewandowski pecked miles below the duo.
However, Lewandowski must have lost his bragging rights in the court of opinions among football fans but the stats don’t lie.
And of course you will be shocked that the Polish forward is as good as the Portuguese iconic footballer if not even better.
From available stats as shared by Transfermarkt, Lewandowski doesn’t only compete with Cristiano Ronaldo on footballing abilities, he has gone shoulder-to-shoulder on goal-scoring prowess in Europe’s top five leagues with the Real Madrid and Manchester United legend.
Cristiano Ronaldo left the shores of Europe with a staggering 696 goals. He scored 450 goals for Real Madrid, 145 for Manchester United, and 101 for Juventus in 918 games. Notably, his goals per game stands at 0.758.
Robert Lewandowski scored 344 goals for Bayern Munich, 103 for Borussia Dortmund, and 73 for Barcelona in 674 games. His goals per game stands at 1.283, 0.5 points better than Cristiano Ronaldo’s.
This stats provides a more balance view of the efficiency of the two forwards in Europe’s top five leagues with Lewandowski proving yet again why he is underrated and unjustly done by the world’s media swansongs and giant PR machines.
Robert Lewandowski better than Cristiano Ronaldo?
Emotions may sway many on this question with Ronaldo’s large fanbase likely to hijack the debate. However, a clearer look at the stats shows Lewandowski is in the class of Cristiano Ronaldo if not a even better than the Portuguese.
At 33, the Poland International hasn’t slowed down yet. He won the La Liga golden boot on his debut and is enroute to nicking it for the second time this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo left Europe in 2022 at age 37 and was undoubtedly still in his best save the drawbacks of his botched second spell at United.
There are projections Robert Lewandowski may likely outscore the five-time Ballon d’Or winner should he continue his career in Europe in the next four years.
This will definitely challenge the narrative on the metrics to measure players’ performances and a call to reassess such criteria.
The game-changer role argument
However, it is pertinent to note that Ronaldo’s greatest scorecard in the debate has been his versatility, team play, and great balling skills. The Portuguese carries an intimidating aura and is renowned for his game-changing role throughout his career.
He could singlehandedly overturn a game with his heroics by breaking the toughest of defences and getting the needed result for his team.
Lewandowski, although boasting a terrific goal-scoring abilities ,seems to be lacking in this criteria. However, it is still not enough to write off the footballer in the scheme of things as modern football media do.
Note that the likes of Ronaldo and Messi played in clubs and teams that had tactical plan and game strategy built around them due to their influence.
This boosted their chances in delivering those game-changing performances unlike Lewandowski who hustles for his goals just like every other forward. Despite the disadvantage, the Polish forward has proven his class beyond all reasonable doubt.
