Soccer

Robert Lewandowski joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in 100 goal club

Lewandowski took 126 games to bring up his century.

Robert Lewandowski has 100 Champions League goals (Joan Monfort/AP)
Robert Lewandowski has 100 Champions League goals (Joan Monfort/AP) (Joan Monfort/AP)

Robert Lewandowski scored his 100th Champions League goal as Barcelona took on Brest on Tuesday night.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the Poland international’s record.

Lewandowski’s century

– Lewandowski’s best Champions League season came with Bayern Munich in 2019-20, when he won the Golden Boot with 15 goals in 10 games.

– That is one of three times he has hit double figures in the competition, also scoring 13 times for Bayern in 2021-22 and 10 for Borussia Dortmund in 2012-13.

– He has scored in 14 consecutive Champions League seasons dating back to 2011-12, when he opened his account in Dortmund’s 3-1 defeat to Olympiakos.

– Six goals in Barca’s first five European games this season, including doubles against Young Boys and Red Star Belgrade, brought up three figures.

How he compares

Robert Lewandowski, centre, joins Cristiano Ronaldo, left, and Lionel Messi with 100 Champions League goals to his name
Robert Lewandowski, centre, joins Cristiano Ronaldo, left, and Lionel Messi with 100 Champions League goals to his name

– Lewandowski is only the third player to reach a Champions League century, joining the unsurprising names of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

– Ronaldo’s 141 goals and 187 appearances are both Champions League records, with Messi scoring 129 in 163.

– Lewandowski took 126 games to bring up his century, three more than Messi but 11 quicker than Ronaldo.

– Lewandowski has the best goals per game record of any player with 50 or more Champions League goals at 0.794, marginally ahead of Messi at the third decimal place.

– He has more Champions League goals than fellow attackers Thomas Muller, Karim Benzema, Raul and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who are all ahead of him in terms of career appearances in the competition.