Hat-trick man Robert Lewandowski smashes these Champions League records
Football superstar Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick for his new club Barcelona on matchday one of the UEFA Champions League 2022-23 season. Lewandowski helped Barcelona beat Viktoria Plzen in Group C. Franck Kessie and Ferran Torres were the other scorers for Barca. Veteran striker Lewandowski has gone on to smash several records in the UCL. We decode the same.
Why does this story matter?
Lewandowski and goals go hand in hand and he has already turned on the heat this season after moving to Barcelona from Bayern Munich. Lewandowski, who is the joint-top scorer in La Liga this season, has once again shown his mettle straightaway in the Champions League. The Polish international has bagged a plethora of goals in the UCL and tonight was another Lewy show.
Climbing up the ladder
Third-highest scorer in the Champions League
Lewandowski is now the outright third-highest scorer in the Champions League. He has raced to 89 goals, steering clear of Karim Benzema, who has 86. Lewandowski is only behind Cristiano Ronaldo (141 including qualifiers) and Lionel Messi (125) in terms of UCL goals.
First player to score a hat-trick for three different clubs
Lewandowski has now become the first player in Champions League history to score for three different clubs. He has now scored hat-tricks for Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona. He has also gotten to six hat-tricks in the competition and is only behind Messi and Ronaldo, who have managed to net eight hat-tricks each.
Notable numbers for the prolific Lewandowski
As per Squawka, Lewandowski has now been directly involved in 108 goals in 107 Champions League appearances. Lewandowski has also scored three out of the last five hat-tricks scored in the Champions League, with Benzema netting the other two.
Oldest player to score on his UCL debut for Barcelona
As per Opta, at 34 years and 17 days, Robert Lewandowski has become the oldest player to score on his Champions League debut for Barcelona. He has surpassed Henrik Larsson's record against Celtic in September 2004 (32 years and 360 days).
How did Lewandowski get his goals?
A solid run by Sergio Roberto through the centre of the pitch saw the player layoff to Lewandowski, who scored with a terrific shot. Lewy then scored his second with a header at the back post from Ousmane Dembele's cross. Torres then picked out the Pole with a clever flick into Lewy's path, who slotted home.
