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LISBON, Portugal (AP) Champions League final: Robert Lewandowski had already been playing for almost a decade when Kylian Mbappe started his career.
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The Bayern Munich and Poland forward had scored over 100 goals by the time the young Frenchman made his professional debut, and he had won the German Bundesliga five times before Mbappe won his first domestic league trophy with Monaco .
Lewandowski, 32, and Paris Saint-Germain forward Mbappe, 21, are separated by a generation, but they will find themselves in the Champions League final on Sunday with the same goal: to win the European title for the first time. time.
It would be a first for Lewandowski in nine attempts, while Mbappe would win it on his fourth try.
Lewandowski on Sunday will also have a chance to break Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 17 goals in a single Champions League season. The Portuguese star has reached the milestone of the 2013-14 season. The Bayern sniper enters the Champions League final this year with 15 goals in nine matches.
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“The fact (Lewandowski) naturally poses a huge threat in front of goal is not only known since this season, so for me he is simply the best center-forward in the world,” Bayern coach Hansi Flick said. . “So I’m just curious to see how things go and of course I hope he scores against Paris as well.”
Lewandowski is the third player to score at least nine consecutive Champions League games, along with Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
The four he has set 15 minutes apart against Red Star Belgrade in the group stage this season have been the fastest quadruple in competition history.
Lewandowski has 50 Champions League goals with Bayern and 68 in total, only behind Ronaldo (130), Lionel Messi (115) and Raul Gonzalez (71).
The Polish star was a Champions League finalist with Borussia Dortmund in 2013, losing 2-1 to Bayern. Against Real Madrid, he became the first player to score four goals in the semi-finals.
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Lewandowski has reached the last four places three times since joining Bayern in 2014, but this is his first appearance for the German powerhouse in the Champions League final.
Mbappe reached his first semi-final in Monaco’s surprise race in 2016-17, then suffered back-to-back knockouts in the round of 16 after joining PSG.
He played in this month’s quarterfinals healing an ankle injury, but now appears to be in great shape. He is the club’s top scorer in the Champions League this season with five goals, along with Mauro Icardi.
But neither Mbappe – nor any other striker – has come close to Lewandowski’s numbers this season. The Bayern striker averages five shots per game in the Champions League, scoring almost every three shots, according to statistical analysts Driblab. He also created more than two chances per game.
Winning Sunday’s duel for their respective clubs is the only thing that really matters.
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