Robert Lewandowski got the ball in the closing stages of the practice match in Tuesday's public training session prior to the last Bundesliga match this term. The Poland captain did not hesitate to crash the ball into the top corner of the net from more than 20 yards, handing his team the victory. His team-mates approached him, celebrating, the fans applauded.
The 28-year-old is warming up for an accolade FC Bayern have not yet wrapped up this term: the top scorer trophy. Lewandowski is one goal clear of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang before the final matchday. "The cannon isn't yet on my mind," the hitman told fcbayern.com: "My goal has been to score 30 plus X."
Improving a personal record
Lewandowski sealed the trophy with 30 goals in last season's Bundesliga campaign, and he has scored the same number so far this term. "If I score another one I'll have surpassed my personal record. That's what I want to achieve. It would be nice if at the end of the day I have one more than anyone else. But it was more important for me to see this 3," stressed Lewandowski.
The new dad needs one more goal to set a new personal best. The match against Freiburg is a good omen as they are Lewandowski's favourite opponents. The 28-year-old has netted 12 times in ten league matches against the men from the Breisgau region. But Bayern's number nine is focusing on something else.
Farewell to legends
"Our greatest motivation should be to bid farewell to the two legends Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso," declared Lewandowski. "Ideally with a good match and plenty of goals," he added, failing to conceal his passion. Scoring goals is what Lewandowski does best, as he has demonstrated in an impressive manner again this season.
Lewandowski has 43 goals in 46 competitive fixtures in all competitions this term. He scored more than once in 11 league matches, the second-best mark in the Bundesliga's history, topped only by Gerd Müller, who achieved this feat in 12 matches in the 1971/72 season. But the striker is not entirely satisfied with this campaign.
Tough time
"Everything was fantastic until the league match against Dortmund. I was fit, I was in form, I felt good. But one moment changed everything." Lewandowski sustained an injury to his shoulder in a challenge with keeper Roman Bürki. "I felt it in every movement. When walking, running and tackling. It was a tough time for me," Lewandowski admitted as he looked back on the decisive weeks in April, adding: "Otherwise I'd have scored more often!"
But his shoulder is okay again, so Lewandowski is "ready and fully focused." He aims to surpass the 30-goal mark and wrap up his third top scorer trophy after 2014 and 2016. Chances are the fans will see the ball scream into the top corner of the net again on Saturday.
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