This is the end. Nobody was ready for this

Robert Lewandowski’s long reign in Europe is ending. The Pole will not surpass Leo Messi and will not match Mario Kempes. However, Kylian Mbappe himself attacked his record.

As long as the ball is in play, anything is possible, but Robert Lewandowski needs a miracle to defend the Pichichi Trophy for the most effective player in La Liga. Twice in his career he scored five goals in one match. First, as part of the 2006 Warsaw President’s Cup Winter Tournament, and later in the memorable clash with VfL Wolfsburg. That’s when Pep Guardiola was shaking his head in disbelief after his fifth goal .

Now, however, even such poker is not enough for a Pole. Before his last appearance of the season, he is as many as six goals behind the leader of the Spanish Premier League scorer, Artem Dowbyk. It took him 63 days, eight games and 628 minutes on the pitch to score his last half-dozen goals.

Only incurable optimists can believe that this time 90 minutes will be enough for him (unless Xavi again replaces him before the final whistle) with Sevilla. Therefore, it can be said without much risk that Lewandowski will be dethroned by Dowbyk. However, the Ukrainian’s triumph also has deeper consequences.

Lewandowski will not be as good as Mario Kempes  – the only player in the history of La Liga who became the top scorer in his first two seasons in the Spanish top league. The Argentine did this in the 1976/77 and 1977/78 competitions. After this second Trofeo, Pichichi also became the top scorer in the 1978 World Cup, and his goals gave Albicelestes their first world championship.

The dethronement of “Lewy” will put an end to his reign in Europe. The Pole is the longest-serving top scorer in the history of the best European leagues. He won the crown in each of the previous six seasons (2017-23). In this respect, he surpassed Jean-Pierre Papin (1988-92) and Leo Messi (2017-21). This year, his achievement was equaled by Kylian Mbappe  – the ruler of Ligue 1 in 2019-24.

Longest reigning top scorers in Europe*:

* – in TOP5 leagues: English, French, Spanish, German and Italian

Lewandowski is already the most successful top scorer in the history of the best leagues on the Old Continent. Last year’s crown was his eighth, bringing him level with Messi. The Argentine left Europe, so he will not expand his collection. However, it does not seem likely that “Lewy” will do it either.

The 35-year-old is having his weakest season in a long time. The last time he had a more modest league achievement was eight years ago, when he took his first steps in Bayern Munich (2014/15). Then he scored 17 goals in the Bundesliga. In general, after breaking Gerd Mueller’s record in 2021, which was his peak goalscoring achievement , he is scoring fewer and fewer goals in the league from season to season (41 -> 35 -> 23 -> 18).

But not only the visible decline in the Pole’s form may decide that he will not fight for the Pichichi Trophy next season. Barcelona is playing a dirty game against him, the aim of which is to get him off the payroll.

When he broke Mueller’s record and repeatedly won trophies and top scorer crowns, one could have the impression that he would stop achieving success only when he decided so and retired. Everyone was aware that this would happen someday, but Lewandowski’s twilight came brutally unexpectedly.

Nobody was ready for this. Neither do fans and journalists who try to distort reality. Neither does he himself, who repeats at every opportunity that he feels as good as ever. Nor Barcelona, ​​which offered him a contract until the age of 38 and is now trying to withdraw from it.

The match of the 38th round of La Liga Sevilla – Barcelona on Sunday at 21. Broadcast on Canal+ Sport2.