After so many years of remarkable consistency in the Bundesliga, many wondered how quickly Robert Lewandowski would adapt to life at Barcelona. (opens in a new tab).
His quality has never been in doubt, but moving to a new club and country brings new challenges and even the best players can take time to settle in.
That hasn’t been the case for Lewandowski, who has taken La Liga by storm, scoring 12 goals in his first 11 appearances.
He scored at least 40 goals in all competitions in seven of the eight seasons he spent at Bayern Munich. (opens in a new tab) and already seems well on its way to achieving this objective again.
Fueled by Lewandowski’s prolific form, Barca put a summer of stress and upheaval behind them to start well under Xavi, at least domestically.
However, their Champions League results have caused concern, finishing far behind Bayern Munich and Inter Milan. (opens in a new tab) in the group stage.
It culminated in a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Bayern, who seemed completely indifferent to Lewandowski’s departure.
Goals from Sadio Mane, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Benjamin Pavard made for a comfortable evening for the German champions.
It was particularly painful for Lewandowski to lose so convincingly to his former club as Barcelona were forced to qualify for the Europa League.
But mental toughness is one of the 34-year-old’s greatest attributes, enabling him to block out outside noise and distractions to consistently deliver outstanding performances.
The same is expected of him by the Polish national team, where he was the captain, figurehead and main goal threat for a long time.
Heading into his second World Cup, Lewandowski has scored 76 goals in 134 international appearances but played out in Russia four years ago.
He will be eager to address that this time around in a group including Saudi Arabia, Mexico (opens in a new tab) and Argentina (opens in a new tab).
Lewandowski can also count on an enviable record from the penalty spot, having failed with just one of his 12 attempts for Poland. (opens in a new tab).
