Lewandowski matches Muller's record with 40th Bundesliga goal this season
Robert Lewandowski has equaled a 49-year-old record of Gerd Muller in the Bundesliga. The Bayern Munich striker netted his 40th Bundesliga goal of the season in a 2-2 draw against Freiburg on Saturday. Muller had scored 40 goals for Bayern in 1971/72. Meanwhile, Lewandowski has become only the second man to reach the 40-goal mark in a single German top-flight campaign.
"I achieved a goal that once seemed impossible to imagine. I'm so unbelievably proud to make history for Bayern, and to play a part in creating the stories that fans will tell their children - following in the footsteps of legends like Gerd Muller," an elated Lewandowski wrote on Twitter after the match. "It's crazy. This is something else," said Bayern forward Thomas Muller.
Bayern, who have already secured their ninth consecutive Bundesliga title, drew first blood in the 26th minute with Lewandowski's penalty strike. Although Manuel Gulde helped Freiburg restore parity three minutes later, Bayern regained the lead, with Leroy Sane striking in the 53rd minute. Notwithstanding, Freiburg managed to hold Bayern eventually as Christian Gunter scored towards the end (81').
After scoring the historic goal, Lewandowski lifted up his jersey in celebration to reveal a shirt featuring the picture of Muller. The caption on the shirt read "4ever Gerd". "I am very happy to be part of this legendary record," Lewandowski said after the match.
Nothing but respect. 🤝 #LEWANG40LSKI pic.twitter.com/CgMyv4qGkz
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) May 15, 2021
As stated, Lewandowski netted his 40th goal this season to equal the tally of Muller in a single season. The former can completely own this record as Bayern have one more game left in the season. Lewandowski, who struck for the 11th straight game across all competitions, is second on the list of all-time scorers in the Bundesliga (276 goals), behind only Muller (365).
Lewandowski joined Bayern in 2014/15 after playing four seasons for Borussia Dortmund. He has already surpassed the 200-goal mark for Bayern (202) in the Bundesliga (scored 74 for Dortmund). Lewandowski has tallied 293 goals for Bayern across all competitions (career total of 483). For the second time in his career, he has surpassed 45-plus goals in a single season.
