5 fastest players to reach 50 Bundesliga goals
Records are Erling Haaland's raison d'etre. After bursting onto the field with RB Salzburg two years ago, he's made everyone sit up and take notice of his fearsome goalscoring exploits.
At Borussia Dortmund, the young Norwegian gun has refined his talents to become one of the world's best strikers. In 70 games with the club, he's struck a staggering 71 goals, including 50 in the Bundesliga from as many appearances.
His landmark strike came against Wolfsburg last weekend, as Haaland marked his return to action from injury in style. However, the bigger talking point is how fast he reached the figure. Several great players in the past have scored over 50 goals in the Bundesliga, but who is the fastest to reach the coveted milestone?
As Haaland looks to add to his prolific tally against Bayern Munich tonight, we examine the five fastest players to reach 50 goals in the German top-flight:
#5 Robert Lewandowski - 91 games
Robert Lewandowski's goalscoring average has gone through the roof since joining Bayern Munich in 2014, but he was a different beast early into his Bundesliga career.
The Pole struck only eight times in 33 games during his first campaign, 10 years ago. Jurgen Klopp soon brought out the best in him, however, and Lewandowski hit the 50-goal mark within the next 58 games.
Robert Lewandowski for Borussia Dortmund across all competitions:
👕 187 games
⚽️ 103 goals
Key to one of Dortmund's most exciting ever sides. https://t.co/CdMpK7KnM0
His landmark strike came in the 2-1 win over VfB Stuttgart in February 2013 as the striker netted an 82nd-minute winner. He was only 24 at the time. Lewandowski eventually left the following year with 103 goals for the club in 187 games across four seasons, including 74 in the Bundesliga from 131 appearances.
#4 Arjen Robben - 90 games
The fact that Arjen Robben, a winger, is ahead of Lewandowski, a striker, on the list tells you what a player he was back in the day.
Despite constant rotation and struggles with injuries, the Dutchman always managed to score plenty of goals. In fact, he left Bayern Munich in 2019 with 144 goals in 309 games, 99 of those coming in the Bundesliga.
99 - Arjen Robben scored more Bundesliga goals than any other Dutch player, while being the second-most prolific Dutchman in Champions League history (31 goals). Icon. https://t.co/hF9Y1SKL8r
It took him just 90 games to reach 50 goals in the German top-flight. His landmark strike came in November 2013— nearly eight months after Lewandowski's, interestingly.