Player Profile: Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich

The 2020 FIFA Club World Cup is upon us, and, though it is a little later than planned due to COVID-19, the excitement in Qatar is building. 

The tournament will give fans the chance to see 2020’s best football club win the coveted world champion title; it will also be the first global football competition to be played out since the coronavirus pandemic began. Matches will be played in two of Qatar's newest World Cup Stadiums, Ahmad bin Ali and Education City stadiums - both completed in 2020, and will each be contested in front of at least 12,000 fans. After an entire year of postponed and cancelled football games and closed-door matches, it is no wonder that the anticipation for the tournament in Qatar's capital Doha is palpable already!

Joining Qatar's 2020 national league winners, Al Duhail SC will be the 2020 Champions League winners from Africa (Al Ahly SC), Asia (Ulsan Hyundai FC), Europe (FC Bayern Munich), North and Central America (Tigres UANL) and South America (Palmeiras FC). Oceania's team, Auckland City FC had to withdraw from the competition. Each team will be bringing their best players to fight for the top club title. Many of the players heading to Doha will already be household names, but who should fans look out for on the pitch?

We think Bayern Munich's top striker, Robert Lewandowski will be the one to watch...

ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI

Player Stats:

Position:

Club Team:

National Team:

Age:

Player Bio:

Lewandowski is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world. Currently a European champion with Bayern Munich (they won the 2020 UEFA Champions League) and captain of the Polish national football team, he began his career as a teen playing for local clubs in Warsaw. His prolific goal-scoring abilities saw him rise through the Polish divisions, taking his teams with him as he went. Within two seasons of playing in the first division for Lech Poznań, he became the top scorer of Ekstraklasa, the Polish professional league. 

In 2010, he was signed to Germany's top-flight team, Borussia Dortmund. Between 2010 and 2014, Lewandowski helped Dortmund win the Bundesliga twice, the DFB Pokal Cup and the DFL Super Cup, and reach second place in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League. At the end of his fourth season with the club, he had scored 103 goals in just 187 appearances.

In 2014, FC Bayern Munich signed Lewandowski and his abilities as a striker went from fantastic to outstanding. In all but his first, Lewandowski has, to date, scored over 40 goals per season. He has been instrumental in leading his team to a myriad of victories. Bayern has won the Bundesliga six times in a row since 2014/15, the DFB Pokal Cup three times, the DFL Super Cup four times, the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League, and the 2020 UEFA Super Cup.

Lewandowski debuted for the Polish senior national team in 2008. In 2013, he was awarded the team captaincy. To date, he has scored 63 goals for the Poles in 116 appearances, making him the all-time top scorer for Poland.

Style of Play

Known as an all-round, modern striker, Robert Lewandowski has an unparalleled eye for goal. He has an acute awareness of the posts in and around the box, and can accurately smash the ball into the net using either foot and his head. His goals range from the simple to the spectacular. He can slot them in, in quick succession, from the ground or the air, and is known for his eye-watering precise long-shots. He is also notorious for his cool level-headedness, which makes him an ideal penalty taker.

While renowned for tactical goal poaching, Lewandowksi is no less useful out in the field. He leads the press, creates chances for those around him, holds the ball up well and draws defenders and fouls. He is relatively agile and quick and has excellent ball control, leading to impressive dribbling, aerial manoeuvres and attacking runs.

Strengths

• Accurate
• Quality strikes
• Strong finisher
• Consistent
• Calm and collected
• Good vision
• Impressive dribbling
• Intelligent passing, movement and positioning
• Playmaker.

Weaknesses

• Defensive contribution.

Why are we watching Robert Lewandowski?

Lewandowski has long been known for his knack of finding goal. Early in his career, he was the top scorer in Poland's top three divisions. At Borussia Dortmund, he set a variety of club and league records for the number and pace at which he found the back of the net. He also earned top scorer awards for the club, the DFB Pokal Cup and in the Bundesliga. In his early days at Bayern Munich, he set the bar for his upward goal record trajectory. Within his first season, he became joint second highest goal scorer in the Bundesliga. In his second season, he set some impressive Guinness World Records when, as a substitute, he scored five goals in under nine minutes. He also set numerous Bundesliga records that season and won 4th place at the FIFA Ballon d'Or awards. He finished the 2015/16 season having scored 42 goals in 51 matches - setting the tone for things to come…

In the last four years, Lewandowski's game has really taken off. He has finished each season having booted home over 40 goals in a similar number of matches (in 2019/20 it was 55 goals in 47 games) - tally makers can hardly keep up. Records and awards have followed thick and fast. He has achieved the honour of top goal scorer in numerous leagues, cups and qualifiers. He has won awards at club, league, national, continental and international level, including player of the season, player of the year, sportsperson of the year and team of the year. This stream of recognition culminated in winning the 2020 FIFA Best Men's player award; a distinction that Messi and Ronaldo have dominated since its inception. 

Some say that this golden era is partly due to a change in his style of play in recent years. A self-disciplined and dedicated sportsman, striving to be the best, he is regarded as a single-minded goal-scoring machine, prone to individualist play. However, in the last few seasons, he has become more of a team player, leading from the front, creating chances and opportunities, scoring as part of a united and seemingly unstoppable squad. Whatever the reason, Lewandowski, with his impressive ball control and pace, ability to read the game, vision and eye for goal, as well as his gift for scoring spectacular goals, is a constant threat in and out of the box. 

Featuring in the semis of the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, Bayern Munich will face off against the winner of the quarter-final match between Qatar's Al Duhail SC and Egypt's Al Ahly SC. With Lewandowski on the field, there should be plenty of action and, hopefully, some breathtaking shots as he sets his sights on goal. Which is why we think this football giant will be the one to watch!

Chances of seeing Lewandowski at the FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar?

As captain of the Polish national team, Lewandowski will undoubtedly be keen to win the ultimate trophy for his country, the World Cup. Considering his age, he will be 34 in 2022, this could be one of the last, if not the last, opportunity for him to collect this the highest of honours, and in the process bag himself ‘legend’ status. 

So, what are the chances of Poland qualifying for the world’s favourite tournament?

Poland is currently ranked 19th in the FIFA World Ranking. Though this is not their highest position (ranked 7th in 2017), they are among the world’s top 20 teams. The national team has qualified for the World Cup eight times, finishing third place twice (1974 and 1982). They qualified for the 2018 edition of the Cup. However, they didn’t make it past the Group Stage - similar to their 2002 and 2006 forays at the tournament (despite their loss, Lewandowski scored 16 goals during the qualifiers, breaking the Polish top-scorer record and the European qualifying scoring record).

The European 2022 World Cup qualifying draw, held on December 7th 2020, has pitted Poland against England (ranked 4th), Hungary (46th), Albania (66th), Andorra (151th) and San Marino (210th). At the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, Poland went head to head with both England and San Marino. They thrashed San Marino home and away, and drew one (1-1) and lost one game (2-0) against England. Looking forward to the start European qualifiers this year, Poland chances stack up on paper. The team should, by rights, perform well against Hungary, Albania, Andorra and San Marino. However, the Hungarian national team’s performance in recent years (they secured a spot in the Euro 2020 and gained a promotion to join the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A) suggests that they will give Poland a good run for their money. Against England, the Poles will be up against one of the world’s best teams with plenty of superlative performers within their ranks, including top striker and Lewandowski’s opposite number, Harry Kane. But, maybe, having been beaten by England at several World Cup qualifiers since the ‘90s, the Poles will be spurred on to prove a point.

The Polish squad also looks good on paper. Numerous core members of the team currently play in top-tier European teams. The team is relatively young but with a good mix of experienced players, a third of which have won 50 or more caps for their country. They also have one of the world’s most prolific goal scorers on their team, Robert Lewandowski. And, if his performance at the 2018 qualifiers is anything to go by, both he and his team stand a fair chance of making it to Qatar in 2022.

Find out more about the 2020 FIFA Club World Cup in our Club World Cup Fact File.

To see which teams draw against each other in the European World Cup qualifiers, check out our World Cup 2022 Qualifying Draw - European Results article.

Ever puzzled over how the World Cup Qualifiers work? Read our The Qualifiers - How It Works article.