"At Cristiano Ronaldo's age it will be more difficult for Lionel Messi to stay at his goalscoring level" - Robert Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski believes Lionel Messi will find it difficult to keep up his goalscoring record when he reaches the age of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Recently crowned the Best FIFA Men's Player of the year, the Bayern Munich forward continues to grab the headlines on a weekly basis. Over the last couple of years, the Polish international has overshadowed both Ronaldo and Messi in terms of his goalscoring record.
While Lewandowski often gets compared to the iconic duo, he remains a huge fan of both players. Howeve, he feels that Messi won't be able to sustain his goalscoring level when he reaches Ronaldo's age.
Speaking to Polish media outlet Pilka Nozna, the Bayern forward was asked about the recent dip in the performance levels of the duo. The 33-year-old stated that Messi might struggle to keep up his astonishing goalscoring numbers when he reaches the age of Ronaldo.
Lewandowski told the Polish publication (as quoted by Times Now):
“Cristiano is three and a half years older than me and still scores a lot. But he changed the club, he changed the tactics and his team is not always successful. When his team regains its balance, he can return to score goals."
🎙️ Lewandowski:
"It will be harder for Messi at the age of Cristiano to stay at his goal scoring level." https://t.co/5EQf7ZOOG0
"He used to have great numbers, impossible numbers, today they are ‘just’ very good numbers. Probably he won’t score 60 goals in a year anymore, but with 30 and 40 he still makes a difference.”
He added:
“The expectations on him are quite different. Messi is a different type of player. At Cristiano’s age it will be more difficult for him to stay at his goalscoring level."
Lewandowski also stated that he is extremely careful regarding his fitness and believes that he still has his best days ahead of him.
"No, it does not (on being asked if his peak is behind him). I have better performance test results now than last year. In light of the data, it looks like my top form is still about to come. I feel better than two years ago."
Lewandowski signed off by saying;
"My age blurs the picture of my physical condition. For 12 years or so, I have been working hard to not end my career at this age, but to continue to develop and to push my limits. I think I've managed to do that."
Lewandowski has registered 34 goals and three assists in 28 games this season.
Are Ronaldo and Messi done at the highest level?
Ronaldo has scored 14 goals this season for Manchester United in 24 games across all competitions.
However, there is no denying the fact that his numbers have been largely underwhelming in comparison to his spells with Juventus and Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Messi has only managed to score just one goal (in 12 appearances) in Ligue 1 so far in a PSG shirt.
Messi joined PSG at age 34. Ronaldo joined Juve at age 33 nearly 34.
At this point in the season, Ronaldo was the top scorer in Serie A, Top Assist man in Seria A, top of the table, and still in all competitions.
Messi has 1 goal, out of the cup, no contribution in the league.
The two superstars have been dominating world football for more than 15 years now. It seems impossible for any player in the future to eclipse their achievements.
It remains to be seen whether the two are just experiencing a momentary dip in form or are gradually dropping from their lofty standards. Every football fan would hope that they come back to their usual best soon again.