Lothar Matthaus believes that Robert Lewandowski is better than Lionel Messi at the moment
Former Germany international Lothar Matthaus feels that Robert Lewandowski is the best player in the world at present, ahead of even the legendary Lionel Messi.
Drawing comparisons between the two world-class forwards, the 59-year-old claimed that Lewandowski is the 'successor' of six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi. According to him, the Bayern Munich sharpshooter is not just the best forward, but the best player across the football landscape.
Matthaus also previewed the highly-anticipated Champions League quarterfinal between Bayern Munich and Barcelona, which would see Messi and Lewandowski spearheading their respective teams' attacks.
He mentioned that although Lionel Messi is capable of the unthinkable, beating the German champions would be an uphill task for Barcelona as they are 'no longer the same as before.'
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"Lionel Messi faces his successor" - Lothar Matthaus
Messi's Barcelona surrendered the La Liga title to Real Madrid earlier, which proved to be a testament of their off-field clashes and dressing room issues.
Messi even admitted that should his side continue this way, they would be dumped out of the Champions League by Napoli.
That was, however, not to happen as the man for the big occasion turned up as a tormentor-in-chief, steering his side to a 3-1 win (4-2 on aggregate) against the Italian giants. He netted a wonderful solo goal, wriggling through five challenges and losing balance, before still managing to produce an outstanding finish.
Meanwhile, Lewandowski continued his remarkable tally for the season in the second leg versus Chelsea, scoring two and assisting as many to oversee a 4-1 Bayern Munich victory.
He's outscored the rest of the pack in Europe, including Messi, and has taken his goal record to 53 in 44 outings for the season.
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Now, Messi and Lewandowski are set to rub shoulders against each other in the quarterfinals in what promises to be a fierce one-versus-one battle at either ends of the pitch.
Speaking ahead of the clash, Matthaus hinted that Bayern are favourites despite Messi's genius. He said:
"Messi faces his successor as the best player in the world: Robert Lewandowski. He is the best player, not just the best forward. The Barca of today is no longer the same as before. They have Messi, of course. A player like him is always capable of genius. But he alone will not be enough against this Bayern. Barcelona does not scare me."
He added that Bayern Munich would only lose this game if they commit blunders.
"Naturally Barcelona have enough quality to produce the best of themselves in one game, but I think Bayern will have to make many mistakes and do many things wrong to lose against this Barcelona."
Lionel Messi holds the key to a ruptured Barcelona's fortunes in the UCL, as seen in the previous round. Bayern Munich head into the fixture as favourites, but they'll have to be wary of his otherworldly abilities.
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