Barcelona and Real Madrid's Parallel Rivalry

BARCELONA, MONDAY – Kylian Mbappe and Robert Lewandowski have become new symbols of the growing rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The competition between the two teams not only occurs at the top of the Spanish League standings but also in the race for the top scorer title, known as "El Pichichi." The gap in the standings is also reflected in the rivalry between Lewandowski and Mbappe.

Lewandowski appears to be spurred by Mbappe's performance, who scored two goals when Real Madrid defeated Leganes. Mbappe's two goals brought his tally to 22, nearing Lewandowski's record of 23 goals in the league's top scorer list. Not wanting to be overtaken, Lewandowski also showcased his best performance as Barca hosted Girona at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium on Sunday (30/3/2025).

Barca secured three points after a convincing 4-1 victory over Girona. Similar to Mbappe, Lewandowski also scored two goals. These additional two goals allowed Lewandowski to maintain his lead over Mbappe in second place on the league's top scorers list. Lewandowski now has a total of 25 goals, three goals ahead of Mbappe.

The rivalry between the two top scorers in Spain reflects their respective clubs. The rivalry between Barca and Real runs parallel to the competition between Lewandowski and Mbappe. Just as the three-goal gap separates Mbappe and Lewandowski, Real is also trailing Barca by three points at the top of the league standings.

“The most important thing is to play well with the team. For me, as a striker, the most important thing is self-confidence. If I am in or near the box, I know that if the ball reaches me, the goal is in my mind. However, the most important thing is my collective contribution to the team. I know that if I score two goals, I will help the team because the most important thing is to win,” Lewandowski said when asked about his target of becoming the top scorer at the end of the season, as quoted by Mundo Deportivo.

It is somewhat unfair to compare the greatness of Lewandowski and Mbappe. The two can arguably be said not to belong to the same generation as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Lewandowski, who is now 36 years old, is considered a footballer of the same generation as Messi and Ronaldo. Meanwhile, Mbappe is a player of the new generation who "coexists" with Manchester City forward Erling Haaland.

Although Lewandowski is 10 years older than Mbappe, he has proven himself still worthy of competing with the new generation of strikers. His two goals against Girona further emphasize that Lewandowski remains a "fox in the box" unaffected by the passage of time. Barca has every reason to be grateful to Lewandowski for his two goals, which reignited their hopes of securing three crucial points to stay ahead of Real's pursuit.

Barca took the lead early through an own goal by Ladislav Krejci. However, Girona played aggressively and managed to equalize thanks to a goal by Arnaut Danjuma. Lewandowski's acrobatic goal kept Barca's hopes alive. He extended his team's lead again with his sharp ability to find shooting space amidst Girona's players. Ferran Torres then sealed Barca's goal fest four minutes before the end of regulation time.

"A lot of people talk about my age, but I feel very fit physically. Looking at the data, there is no difference between now and a few years ago. I know I am working as hard as before and I want to play at the highest level for a few more years," Lewandowski said.

Separately, Barca coach Hansi Flick revealed that Lewandowski has big ambitions in his third season at Barca. Since arriving in Spain in 2022, Lewandowski has not needed long to adapt to Barca's style of football. The Polish striker immediately became the top scorer in the Spanish League in his first season.

However, that achievement was matched by former Girona striker Artem Dovbyk the following season. This time, Lewandowski is eager to regain the top scorer title.

“I know Lewandowski wants to win the Pichichi. But the most important thing is that the team wins. We will fight for every title. I see the team very focused. It is important to stay grounded,” Flick said.

Lewandowski's collection of 25 goals has surpassed his achievement in the first season, which was 23 goals. Dovbyk surpassed Lewandowski's goal tally after scoring 24 goals in a season. Thus, Lewandowski's current goal tally has surpassed the collection of the top scorer in the last two seasons.

Given that the rivalry between Lewandowski and Mbappe continues with nine weeks of the league remaining, it is not impossible that Lewandowski's goal collection will continue to grow.