Why doesn’t Robert Lewandowski get more credit?

Robert Lewandowski scored two goals against his former club Borussia Dortmund last Saturday in Der Klassiker, bringing his season tally to 16 in the league. He has scored in a record 11-straight Bundesliga games, he’s scored in every Champions League game too, and has 21 total goals before mid-November.

To put it in context, Lewandowski has scored as many league goals as Arsenal and Manchester United, in fewer games. He is on course to break Gerd Muller’s long-standing record of 40 goals in a Bundesliga season, which would be an amazing feat for an 18-team league, with fewer matches than the other top European Leagues.

At 31 years old, he is playing with the agility of a striker in his mid-20s.

He is undoubtedly the best number nine in the world right now, and maybe even the best player. So why doesn’t he get more credit?

In the calendar year of 2019, he has 48 goals, which is three more than Lionel Messi.

The Argentine won the FIFA Best Men’s Player award in September, while Lewandowski wasn’t even nominated.

In fact, the Pole has scored 40-plus goals in the last four seasons, but he wasn’t even shortlisted for the Ballon d’Or in 2018 and has barely been in the Ballon d’Or conversation since he finished fourth in 2015.
Perhaps Lewy isn’t as highly regarded as he deserves is because he plays in the less publicized German league.

If he was in the spotlight of the Premier League or La Liga, one would have to believe he would be held in much higher acclaim by the global media.

His status may also be affected by his nationality. Whereas most top goal scorers have had the chance to shine on the world stage, Poland are not in the top tier, and have only once cleared the group stage of a major tournament during his career.

Bayern Munich are relying on Lewandowski to deliver their eighth consecutive Bundesliga title.

But perhaps only if he leads them to Champions League glory, will he start to get the credit he truly deserves.

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