“I’m not sure Mbappe is a striker like me” - Robert Lewandowski on Barcelona ‘motivation’ after Real Madrid sign Kylian Mbappe
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has thrown down the gauntlet to his Real Madrid counterpart Kylian Mbappe ahead of the new season. The Frenchman arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu on a free transfer this summer.
Mbappe, 25, is one of the best strikers of his generation as he comes off a prolific seven-season stint at PSG, leaving as their top scorer with 256 goals. Lewandowski, 10 years the Frenchman's senior, is no slouch either, being regarded as one of the finest marksmen of his era.
Ahead of the 2024-25 season, the Pole said that his playing style differs from Mbappe's, which is a 'new' motivation for him, elaborating (as per Barca Universal):
"I'm not sure that Mbappé is a striker like me. He plays in a different position and has a different style of football. For us it is a new motivation, a new season."
Both Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski will start the new season with only goal at Euro 2024. While the Frenchman's team lost 2-1 to eventual winners Spain in the semi-finals, Lewandowski's Poland crashed out in the group stage, finishing last.
Interestingly, both men scored in the same game - from the spot - a 1-1 group-stage draw, with Mbappe going on to end his campaign with two more assists. Lewandowski's late leveller made him only the third player to score in four different editions of the Euros.
How Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe fared in his last game against Robert Lewandowski's Barcelona?
New Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe last locked horns with Robert Lewandowski's Barcelona in last season's UEFA Champions League quarter-final.
Both men drew blanks in the first leg at the Parc des Princes, but Xavi's side took a 3-2 win, thanks to a Raphinha brace and an Andreas Christensen 77th-minute winner. For PSG, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha had scored within two minutes to overtun an early deficit.
In the return leg in Spain, Raphinha's early strike gave Barca a 4-2 aggregate advantage. However, Ronald Araujo's 29th-minute red card changed the complexion of the game.
The Parisians stormed back into the tie, scoring four unanswered goals. After drawing level on aggregate through former Barcelona man Dembele and Vitinha, Mbappe struck a brace to take his side through.