Robert Lewandowski is experiencing a peculiar start to the season that has nevertheless reaffirmed what he has always been: a pure penalty-box finisher.
Because of physical issues and the patience applied during his recovery, the Polish striker has not enjoyed all the minutes he would have liked and has been gradually reintegrated into Hansi Flick’s plans.
But that caution has not prevented him from making the most of his time on the pitch. In fact, he has become the player who needs the fewest minutes to score in all of LaLiga so far this season.
His scoring efficiency extends across Europe, and he is only rivaled by one player who, interestingly, is also on Barça’s radar.
Robert Lewandowski of FC Barcelona
Lewandowski has scored 8 goals in 513 LaLiga minutes. That means the Barça forward finds the net every 64 minutes. No other striker in the Spanish top flight scores at that rate.
Even Kylian Mbappé—currently leading the scoring charts with 13 goals—has a lower strike frequency, averaging a goal every 87.7 minutes.
Lewandowski came off the bench on matchdays 2, 3 and 4. After playing 14 and 12 minutes against Levante and Rayo Vallecano, without influencing the scoreline, he struck twice in just 22 minutes against Valencia.
Against Oviedo, he entered the match in the 65th minute and needed only five minutes to put Barça ahead at the Carlos Tartiere.
He has now scored 4 goals in his last two league outings: a hat-trick against Celta and the 1–0 winner against Athletic.
He played the full match in Vigo and was substituted in the 64th minute against the Basque side.
Lewy’s efficiency is staggering: he barely needs an hour on the pitch to all but guarantee a goal for Barça. His numbers are a clear improvement on last season, when he scored every 99 minutes.
Across Europe’s major leagues, only Harry Kane—recently linked to the Catalan club—has been more productive this season.
The Englishman has scored 14 Bundesliga goals, averaging one every 62.6 minutes.
Erling Haaland ranks third, scoring in the Premier League every 74 minutes. Mbappé is second in LaLiga and appears in the European top 10.
Julián Álvarez and Ferran Torres, with seven goals each and chasing Lewandowski and Mbappé in the Pichichi race, score every 144 and 113 minutes respectively—far behind the Pole.
Naturally, Lewandowski’s average is expected to drop once he becomes a regular starter again, but the statistic highlights just how sharp and clinical he currently is.
Another figure that illustrates his strong form is his finishing accuracy: among LaLiga’s top scorers, he has the highest percentage of shots on target converted, with 8 goals from 13 on-target attempts—a remarkable 61.54% success rate. Mbappé sits at 48.15%, with 13 goals from 27 shots on target.
Julián Álvarez and Ferran Torres are both near 44%. No one is guaranteeing goals like Lewandowski—who now faces one of his favorite victims, having scored 7 times in 4 matches against Alavés.
