How Lewandowski’s goal record compares with Messi, Suarez, Eto’o and Barca’s great strikers
FT Desk
- Updated: 16 Jul 2022 18:48 BST
- 3 min read
Barcelona undoubtedly mean business ahead of the upcoming season, with the Catalan giants securing the services Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski in the summer transfer window.
Lewandowksi had been linked with a move to Camp Nou for several months, with the club seeking a new forward to add to their ranks despite Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's goal-scoring form since arriving from Arsenal in January, and they have landed their man.
Related articles
Lewandowski himself pushed hard to make the move happen as he wished for a new adventure after over a decade in Germany and eight years at Bayern.
The former Borussia Dortmund star said in a press conference while on Poland duty: “My era at Bayern Munich is over. I don’t see any possibility to continue playing for this club anymore.
“Bayern is a serious club and I hope they will not keep me only because they can do it. A transfer is the best solution. I hope they don’t stop me.”
So, Lewandowski's mind was made up, with a transfer away from Bayern what he clearly desired. With one year left on his Bayern contract, Barcelona were able to pounce.
But, just how good is Lewandowski and what will he bring to this Barca team? To find that out, we have compared his goal-scoring stats to the talents of Barcelona legends Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o, Luis Suarez and Neymar to find out.
Goals scored in Europe’s top leagues
When it comes to scoring goals in league campaigns, there are few players in all of world football that are as deadly as Lewandowski and that certainly shows when we compare him to some of Barca’s best forwards in recent memory.
The Poland international has bagged no less than 312 goals in 382 games in the German top flight over the course of his career, which works out at 0.82 goals per game.
In comparison, Suarez has to date managed 0.68 goals per game in the Spanish top flight, Eto’o averaged 0.58 before retiring and Neymar bagged 0.55 in La Liga before moving to Paris Saint-Germain.
As expected, only Messi can rival Lewandowski’s ability to stick the ball in the back of the net, with an even more impressive 0.91 goals per game. Which goes some way to showing just how special Lewandowski is.
| Player | Goals per league game | Goals per Champions League game |
| Robert Lewandowski | 0.81 | 0.82 |
| Lionel Messi | 0.91 | 0.80 |
| Samuel Eto'o | 0.58 | 0.38 |
| Luis Suarez | 0.68 | 0.40 |
| Neymar | 0.55 | 0.54 |
Goals scored in the Champions League
However, like all star players, Lewandowski counts his success by goals scored in the Champions League and it’s here that the Polish striker may surprise some Barca fans.
Not only has Lewandowski averaged 0.81 goals per game in the top-tier European competition throughout his career, but in doing so he’s actually averaged more than Messi, who sits on 0.80 goals per game.
Naturally, that means he’s also outpaced Barca’s other star forwards, with Neymar coming in third with 0.54 goals per game, with Suarez at 0.40 and Eto'o last with 0.38 goals per Champions League game.
