Lewandowski reaches 20 goals in La Liga
A penalty from Robert Lewandowski allowed Barça to collect three vital points on Monday against Rayo Vallecano and move back to the top of the table for the first time in almost two months. It was the 32nd goal of the season in all competitions for the Polish striker, just one away from his best ever total of 33 recorded in his first campaign as a blaugrana.
In the league it was his 20th goal in 23 matches which means he joins an elite group of players who have reached that figure at this point in the La Liga season. The last player to reach 20 goals so quickly was Leo Messi back in the 2019/20 season.
With Messi, Suárez and Eto’o
The Barça players to have scored 20 goals in 23 league matches in the last 15 years are Leo Messi, Luis Suárez and Samuel Eto'o. The Argentine legend did so in 11 consecutive seasons between 2009 and 2020. The Uruguayan striker scored 20 goals in 23 games or less in three of his six campaigns as a blaugrana. As for Eto'o, the Cameroonian scored 23 goals in 23 matches in the 2008/09 campaign.
20 goals in the league mean that Lewandowski leads the race to be Pichichi in La Liga, three ahead of his nearest rival Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid.