Who are Robert Lewandowski's favourite opponents?

An early penalty against Brest on Matchday 5 in 2024/25 made Robert Lewandowski the third player to score 100 UEFA Champions League goals, with only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi having reached that mark previously. The 36-year-old has completed his century across 125 games, scoring against 37 opponents. Which teams has he enjoyed facing most?

• Lewandowski reached 100 goals after 10,541 Champions League minutes; that's a goal every 105 minutes and 25 seconds on average.

• It only took Lewandowski one game with new club Barcelona to create Champions League history. His three goals in a 5-1 win against Viktoria Plzeň on Matchday 1 in 2022/23 made the Polish international the first player to score a hat-trick in the competition for three different clubs (Dortmund, Bayern and Barcelona).
• Lewandowski's 100th appearance in the competition was spectacular too. He hit a hat-trick against Benfica for former club Bayern, and became the fastest player to reach the 80-goal mark in competition history; Lionel Messi needed 102 games, while Cristiano Ronaldo required 116. The forward is the only player to score more than once during their milestone match.
• An early penalty against Brest on Matchday 5 of the 2024/25 competition brought up Lewandowski's century, the Barcelona forward adding another late on to complete a 3-0 win.

Which clubs has Lewandowski scored against in the UEFA Champions League?

• While many have watched Lewandowski's goalscoring exploits in awe, Odysseas Vlachodimos is unlikely to have enjoyed them quite as much. The Greek international faced Lewandowski's Bayern four times during his stay at Benfica between 2018 and 2023, conceding at least once each time as the striker scored the seven goals that make Benfica his joint-most preferred opponents.
• Crvena Zvezda have also been favourable opposition for Lewandowski, who has seven goals in just three appearances against the Serbian side – including four in Bayern's 6-0 win in Belgrade on Matchday 5 of the 2019/20 competition.
• Real Madrid rank joint-third largely due to the record-breaking four goals that Lewandowski fired past Diego López in the home leg of Dortmund's 2012/13 Champions League semi-final win. That remains the only time a player has managed four in a Champions League semi-final game.

Which nations' sides is Lewandowski most prolific against?

• The roles were reversed as Lewandowski scored against former side Bayern with Barcelona in October 2024. During his time with the German club, Lewandowski was at his most prolific against Spanish sides, including his current employers. He scored four goals in five against the Catalan team between 2015 and 2021, helping Bayern to four wins – part of a six-game streak finally broken by the 4-1 Barcelona victory in which Lewandowski was on target for the Catalan club. Real Madrid, Atleti, Málaga, and Villarreal were the other Spanish sides to incur Lewandowski's wrath during his time in Germany.

When is Lewandowski most dangerous?

• The later stages of the game are when Lewandowski truly comes alive, with 38% of his goals coming in the final 30 minutes compared to 29% in the opening 30. Oddly, he has never scored in extra time.

• The majority of Lewandowski's Champions League strikes have come in the group stage or league phase, but he is nonetheless one of the great goalscorers of the knockout rounds. Only Cristiano Ronaldo (67), Lionel Messi (49) and Karim Benzema (34) have scored more than his tally of 32.

How does Lewandowski score his Champions League goals?

• Lewandowski's reputation as a penalty-box predator is well earned. The Champions League winner has scored just four of his 101 goals from outside the penalty area.
• Though Lewandowski is most prolific with his stronger foot, getting 65 of his goals with his favoured right boot, his 20 headed goals and 16 left-footed strikes point to the all-round strength of his finishing.
• Only one of his goals has come from a direct free-kick, while 17 have come from the penalty spot and 83 in open play.

Which team-mate has provided the most Champions League assists for Lewandowski?

Minimum three assists

• Bayern forward Müller stands head-and-shoulders above the competition when it comes to supplying Lewandowski with assists. The German international more than doubles the tally of second-placed Kingsley Coman, who scored the goal that gave Lewandowski his sole Champions League triumph – an assist of sorts that, unfortunately, is not counted here.
• Dortmund team-mate Reus is on the list, despite only 28 of Lewandowski's Champions League appearances coming in their black-and-yellow kit.

Last updated: 26/11/2024