JAKARTA - Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland are fighting all out to prove who the best centre-forwards are so far this season.
Both are not new people, as their track record over the past few years suggests they are the two best strikers in the world.
However, earlier this season with his new clubs, the brand has attracted everyone's attention.
Lewandowski, currently in Barcelona's uniform, has averaged 1.6 goals per game. Meanwhile, Haaland, who defended Manchester City, was slightly better with 1.7 goals.
Their calculations come as a surprise given how many shots they took. They both needed less than three shots to score, a figure neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo had achieved during their peak of strength.
Summer transfer Lewandowski and Haaland
The two strikers were the biggest purchases in European transfer windows, but no one was sure the two would succeed in their new club.
Haaland left Borussia Dortmund for Manchester City, beating clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona for his signature.
As soon as Joan Laporta realized that she could not meet the price Haaland asked for, he turned to Lewandowski, who never hides his desire to play for Barcelona.
The Polish striker is trying hard to leave Bayern Munich, even willing to accept a pay cut to move to Camp Nou.
However, the Blaugrana paid 50 million for their services, a figure many people considered excessive for a 34-year-old player.
However, Lewandowski has proven the wrong person in just five games, with Haaland also silencing those who question whether he can adapt to Manchester City's game.
Lewandowksi's broader influence at Barcelona
In terms of the Blaugrana, Lewandowksi's influence was more than just scoring goals.
The signing has brought new optimism to the fan base that has had to bear some disappointment over the past three years.
It had a similar effect to Ronaldinho in 2003 during Laporta's first year as president. The fans are once again behind their side, and as a result it has flocked back to the stadium.
Lewandowski's leadership skills are also clearly visible. After winning the Golden Boots in the last two seasons, his quality has helped him take on the leadership role in the dressing room, making him the closest thing Barcelona has to Messi.
His three goals on Wednesday night saw him past Karim Benzema for third on the all-time Champions League goalscorer list, now to 89.
He now sits only behind Messi and Ronaldo, who are leading 125 and 140, respectively.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)