Comparing Robert Lewandowski to the Rest of Europe’s Top Strikers

As if Robert Lewandowski wasn’t already one of the main spotlights for the summer transfer window before Borussia Dortmund’s midweek demolition of Real Madrid, the Polish International only raised his stock with his four goal performance against the the Spanish giants. His agent has already stated that he’s on his way out of Dortmund, but where will he end up? Some say a deal has already been made with Manchester United while others assume he could be on his way to Real Madrid.

Either way, one thing is for certain. Lewandowski has enjoyed a fantastic season and is now being regarded as one of the more marquee transfer sagas of the summer. He’s not the only striker surrounded with speculation, however, with Falcao and Cavani thought to be on the move as well.

So just how good has Lewandowski been this year. Sure a four-goal performance against one of the world’s strongest teams will have people talking, but football is a game of consistency. Below we’ll compare Lewandowski’s season with some of the best strikers across Europe. Once you see the numbers, you can decide if Lewandowski might be right for your team.

Lewandowski

All 23 of Lewandowski’s Bundesliga goals this season.

Lewandowski has made 27 appearances in the Bundelsiga this season, not featuring in 3 of Dortmund’s 30 matches. In those 27 matches that he’s played, the Pole has scored 23 goals. His average shot accuracy comes in at 65%, and he’s created 32 separate chances, assisting five goals in the process. It is interesting to note that a large majority of the chances Lewandowski has created this season come from central areas. While some strikers enjoy drifting into wider areas to isolate themselves, Dortmund’s man is seemingly more comfortable in up the middle. He boasts a 73% pass accuracy rate with more than half of those passes (55%) played forward.

Falcao

Radamel Falcao’s 25 goals for Atletico Madrid

Moving on to another one of Europe’s elite strikers, we’ll take a look at Atletico Madrid’s Radamel Falcao. The Colombian has received enormous praise over the past two years and is oftentimes referred to as La Liga’s third best attacker behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Falcao has featured in 29 of Atletico’s 32 matches scoring 25 goals in the process. Falcao’s average shot accuracy falls below Lewandowski’s at 58% but his passing accuracy comes in at 78%. Notably, a majority of Falcao’s passes are actually played backwards, meaning he often finds himself in higher areas with his back to goal. His ability to combine accurately in efficiently in those areas makes him very difficult to handle both his back to goal and when facing the goal. He’s created 28 chances with only 1 assist this season.