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Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski surpassed Gerd Muller’s long-standing Bundesliga calendar-year scoring record with his second-half finish against Wolfsburg.
Muller found the net 42 times in the German top flight in 1972, but Lewandowski set a new record with his 43rd league goal of 2021.
Thomas Muller opened the scoring for Bayern after just seven minutes on Friday, while Lewandowski volleyed over as he searched for the landmark goal.
Dayot Upamecano and Leroy Sane netted the second and third goals for Julian Nagelsmann’s side, before Lewandowski’s milestone strike eventually arrived in the 87th minute when he smashed into the roof of the net following Jamal Musiala’s header.
The Poland international has now scored 24 goals in 21 Bundesliga games against Wolfsburg, including a five-goal haul against them back in September 2015 in a 5-1 victory for the Bavarians.
Yet another landmark for Lewandowski caps a fantastic year in which the former Borussia Dortmund star won France Football’s inaugural Striker of the Year award, after finishing second to Lionel Messi in the 2021 Ballon d’Or reckoning.
Lewandowski may have felt hard done by, given he has managed 58 goals in 2021 across all competitions – 15 more than any other player across Europe’s top-five leagues, with Dortmund’s Erling Haaland occupying second (43).
The Bayern talisman also leads the scoring charts across Europe this campaign, with 30 goals to his name in all competitions. Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah is the next best with 22.
Worryingly for Wolfsburg, the 33-year-old may now eye another record for most goals against a single opponent in the Bundesliga, also held by Muller, who netted 27 times against Hamburg.
Julian Nagelsmann’s side boast a healthy advantage over Dortmund at the top of the table heading into the mid-season break.
