'I've beaten them!' - Robert Lewandowski opens up on playing at 'elite level' in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo era as Barcelona star reflects on his 'impact' on football

Barcelona veteran Lewandowski has reflected on his legacy, having played during an era in which both Messi and Ronaldo proved so dominant. The Poland international has never won the Ballon d'Or - many argue that he should have in 2020 but the prize was not awarded to anybody due to Covid-19. He he has, however, won FIFA's The Best Men's player award twice, as well as two European Golden Boots, and a laundry list of trophies.

The 36-year-old is still going strong at the top end of the sport, scoring 19 goals in 17 games under the management of Hansi Flick this season. And he claims that he has enjoyed going toe-to-toe with two of the greatest players the sport has seen in recent years.

Lewandowski said to The Athletic: “I have been playing football in the same era as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. I think I’ve been close to that elite level in some moments and even beat them in different games. I think we can say I was around!

“It means a lot if you get close to guys like this. It makes me very proud to see that in the era of Messi and Ronaldo, sometimes, Lewandowski also managed to break some records and make an impact.”

Lewandowski will aim to build on his impressive goal tally this season when Barcelona play Celta Vigo on Saturday evening. They will then play Brest in the Champions League.