Lewandowski praises Ronaldo for maintaining top form at 39

By Hoang Nguyen, Hong DuyOctober 10, 2024 | 05:00 pm PT
Lewandowski praises Ronaldo for maintaining top form at 39
Robert Lewandowski (L) and Cristiano Ronaldo at a press conference at the 2021 Global Soccer Awards. Photo by Global Soccer Awards
Polish star striker Robert Lewandowski has praised Cristiano Ronaldo for maintaining the passion and desire for football at 39 years old and being an inspiration to many.

"I fully acknowledge what Cristiano Ronaldo has accomplished throughout his career and how he's made history with his records. That will be etched in football forever," Lewandowski told beIN SPORTS. "At almost 40, he still has an incredible hunger to win," he added.

On Oct. 12, Lewandowski with Poland will play Ronaldo's Portugal at Warsaw in the Nations League. According to the Polish striker, if Ronaldo no longer showed anger or passion on the pitch, he would have said goodbye to top-level football.

"He clearly still has the desire, and he looks physically in very good shape, which shows that the path he chose was successful," Lewandowski added. Regardless of age, his numbers keep going up and not the other way around. Of course, he is an exception, and there are very few exceptions like him".

Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. He won the Euro 2016, Nations League 2019, five Champions Leagues, five Ballon d'Or and holds the record for scoring 905 career goals and 140 goals in the Champions League. He is aiming to reach 1,000 goals before retiring.

This season, Ronaldo has maintained his high form with eight goals and three assists in nine matches for Al Nassr in all competitions. He has scored 72 since moving to Saudi Arabia, winning the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup.

Lewandowski, 36, has also been in fine form since the start of the season. He has contributed 12 goals and two assists in 11 matches for Barca in all competitions, including a 25-minute hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Alaves last weekend. The Polish striker is leading the La Liga top scorer race with 10 goals, four ahead of Villarreal's Ayoze Perez.

Coach Carlos Queiroz is not surprised that Ronaldo set a target of reaching 1,000 goals. Queiroz trained Ronaldo when he was an assistant coach to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Portugal national team head coach from 2008 to 2010.

"That is a typical trait of top players," Queiroz told Spanish newspaper AS. "These players, in every sport, set big goals. That is what keeps them going. Not money, not titles, but themselves. For Ronaldo, it's about the goals."

 
 
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