Robert Lewandowski could get even better - The Expert View

Lewandowski is already one of the greatest strikers in Bundesliga history having scored 236 goals in 321 games for Dortmund and Bayern. That puts him third on the all-time list behind Gerd Müller (365 goals in 427 games) and Klaus Fischer (268 goals in 535 games). He will surely pass Fischer in the next couple of years, but Müller's record might be a stretch.

The 32-year-old has been Bundesliga top goal scorer for the last three years and four of the last five. His haul of five Kicker-Torjägerkanone awards is second only to Müller on seven. He is already a Bundesliga legend, and his consistency is astonishing; he seems to get better and better. Right now only Gerd Müller is ahead of him.

This season he has scored with more regularity than ever before. He had an amazing start to his Bundesliga campaign scoring in each of the first 11 matchdays - 16 times in total. He had a three-game blip with no goals during the middle of the season but otherwise has been exceptional. He is always ready because he is a true professional. It is tough for defenders because he can score with both feet and is dominant in the air so is nearly unstoppable in one-on-one situations.

Furthermore, the competition with Timo Werner - 28 goals in Bundesliga – drove him on. Plus, after convincing victories in the Champions League - 7-2 against Tottenham and 6-0 against Red Star Belgrade - perhaps he had the feeling that this could be Bayern’s year.

The feeling in Germany is that the cancellation of the Ballon d’Or is unfair, particularly as this was actually the first season a player from a German club would have had a chance to win it. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have had great individual seasons - like always - but their teams failed to convince. Lewandowski is the best player in the best team in the world at the moment.

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge summed it up nicely when he said: "I believe Robert Lewandowski is playing a fantastic season. He may have had the best season of his career," before adding:

If there was a Ballon d'Or, he should have won easily, especially if Bayern were to beat PSG on Sunday to win the big one.

You can compare Lewandowski to Ronaldo in terms of attitude. He is a true professional and always in top shape. And even while aging he is getting better and better. I am sure he can stay at this level for two or three more years without a serious injury. At least two or three more years. He will always have his striker’s instinct even when he starts to wane physically.

There is no plan yet to replace him. And as long as he is performing like this there is no need to. They tried a back-up like former German international Sandro Wagner in 2018-19 but actually Lewandowski is still capable of playing every game.

They actually decided against moving for Werner because they still want to build their squad offensively around the Polish striker.

Joshua Zirkzee, 19, has the potential to try to fill the void eventually. The Dutch forward starred for Bayern II and the youth team after he joined from Feyenoord. In his nine senior games - six as a substitute - he scored four goals including two game-winning efforts in his first two appearances with Bayern in the Bundesliga.