Lewandowski is known all around the world, but here are five more facts about the Polish striker to help you get to know him better.
Robert Lewandowski arrived in LaLiga Santander in the summer of 2022 and has quickly made waves in his first season in Spanish football. He is one of the most famous footballers on the planet, the Gerd Müller Trophy winner for the Best Goalscorer of 2022, currently leading the goal-scoring rankings in LaLiga Santander… but here are five things you might not already know about Lewi!
1. He hails from a sporting family
Lewandowski may be one of the best footballers on the planet, but he is not the only member of his family who has dedicated himself to sport professionally. His father, Krzysztof Lewandowski, is a former judo champion, while his mother, Iwona Lewandowska, was a professional volleyball player in Poland. Milena Lewandowski, his sister, followed in his mother’s footsteps and was capped by the Polish under-21 volleyball team. And don’t forget, Lewandowski is married to Anna Stachurska, a Polish karate star who won bronze at the 2009 World Karate Championships.
2. He takes almost unreal care of his body
When he was 33 years of age last season, Lewandowski scored an incredible 50 goals in 46 games. Stats like that are only possible with a combination of talent and physical prowess, something the Pole takes care of almost to the extreme. His former teammate at Bayern Munich, and former Athletic Club star, Javi Martínez once said that at pre-season camp he often tried to get Lewandowski to try some typical sweets he’d brought back from Spain. The Polish striker constantly refused, in line with his strict diet. Lewandowski has stated on many occasions that he tries to control all factors that can determine his physical condition, even his sleeping positions, to minimise chances of injury and maximise his on-field performance.
3. A generational battle with Benzema
Eight months separate the births of two great players of our time. The careers of Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski have been intertwined for years, but this season marks the first occasion in which they will face off in the same domestic competition: LaLiga Santander. They’ve been ever-present in the elite of world football for over a decade, playing in many editions of the Champions League, and are currently engaged in an ever-changing battle to be third in the tournament’s all-time scoring charts.
4. A natural disaster changed the course of his career
Back in 2010, in the summer of his move to Borussia Dortmund, Lewandowski was due to travel to the UK to visit Blackburn Rovers’ facilities ahead of a proposed move to the second-tier English side. Lewandowski was excited about the opportunity to play in England, but his flight coincided with the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull, an event that disrupted all air traffic in Europe for several weeks and prevented him from travelling. “Did it change my life? No doubt, maybe if I had met with Blackburn I would have stayed there,” Lewandowski later said. He moved to the German side Borussia Dortmund instead and the rest, as they say, is history.
5. The following motorsport is his hobby
Lewandowski’s interest in sports is not just limited to football. He has been spotted playing tennis, and golf and, above all, attending Formula 1 races. The Polish international has been spotted at iconic Grand Prix events such as Monaco, to indulge in one of his big passions. “I have followed Formula 1 since I was very young and I always remember Michael Schumacher, everything he achieved was unbelievable,” he once revealed about one of his idols and inspirations.
