Robert Lewandowski had a good first season with FC Barcelona as he not only won the La Liga title at his new club but also won the Pichichi after scoring the highest number of goals in the league in the 2022/23 season.
The Pole was in a race against the then Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, who has now left Spain to see out his career in Saudi Arabia. As a result, Lewandowski was supposed to be the clear favorite for this award at the start of the season.
However, the Pole will be facing competition from an unexpected source, as another Real Madrid player is currently leading the Pichichi race.
Lewandowski recovering his form
Lewandowski did not have the best start to the season, as he drew blank in the first two games against Getafe and Cadiz. However, the veteran Polish striker has now rediscovered his finishing touch as he has scored in all the last three games for Barcelona while also scoring with his national team during the international break.
Pichichi race
With these goals, Lewandowski has taken his goal count to three and is currently second only to another Real Madrid player, Jude Bellingham, in the scoring charts. Bellingham has had a remarkable start to life in La Liga, as he has already scored five goals in the first five games.
However, as SPORT has noted, Lewandowski shares the number two spot with eight other players, who all have scored three goals in La Liga. One of them is Ferran Torres, who is also in blazing form since the pre-season. The Pichichi list for the 2023/24 season currently stands as:
- Jude BELLINGHAM (R.Madrid) 5
- Robert LEWANDOWSKI (FC Barcelona) 3
- Ferran TORRES (Barcelona) 3
- Gorka GURUZETA (Athletic) 3
- Álvaro MORATA (Atlético) 3
- WILLIAN JOSE (Betis) 3
- Takefusa Kubo (R.Sociedad) 3
- Hugo DURO (Valencia) 3
- Ander BARRENETXEA (R.Sociedad) 3
- Alexander Sørloth (Villarreal) 3
While already 35 years old, Lewandowski is still up there with the best-attacking talent in La Liga. He is expected to surpass all these players in the coming matches and hopefully can win another Pichichi trophy this year to further strengthen his legacy as an elite goalscorer.
While he will have to beat the Real Madrid youngster, Lewandowski is still the favorite because of his experience, past record, and position on the pitch.
