Robert Lewandowski scored a hat-trick as Barcelona beat Viktoria Plzen, registering a unique feat in the process.
Tuesday night’s 5-1 win saw him become the first player to score a Champions League hat-trick for three different clubs, with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich being the others.
A day after the Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland-focused conversation heralding a new era in Europe’s top competition, 34-year-old Lewandowski gently reminded everyone that the old guard was not over yet.
In fact, the last five Champions League hat-tricks have been scored by either Lewandowski or Real Madrid’s 34-year-old Karim Benzema.
The Barcelona forward’s 89 Champions League goals are still a far cry from Lionel Messi (125) and Cristiano Ronaldo (140), but he has now been directly involved in 108 goals in 107 games in the competition.
Barcelona coach Xavi said he was happy to have him at his side.
“I’m delighted with the way he trains, the way he improves the team,” he said afterwards.
“He is humble, he waits [of his teammates] and he does a great job of pressing.
“It’s not just the hat trick anymore, it’s his job and how he dominates.”
The player, however, is simply focused on the next game, which is at Cadiz on Saturday with a return to Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the next Champions League game.
Lewandowski moved from Bayern to Barca in the summer for around £42million, having just one year left on his contract.
He won eight titles and the Champions League during his time in Germany, scoring 344 goals in 374 games, making him his second all-time top scorer behind Gerd Muller.