Lewandowski’s Champions League goalscoring drought preventing him from reaching all-time record held by Messi

Lionel Messi is one of the most remarkable players in the history of the UEFA Champions League, having shined for nearly two decades in European soccer. That allowed him to set numerous records, one of which Robert Lewandowski is close to surpassing. However, the Barcelona forward’s drought has kept him from achieving it so far.

Messi is the player who has scored against the most opponents in Champions League history. Between 2004 and 2023, playing for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain, he found the net against 40 different rivals—more than any other player since the competition was created.

Lewandowski is very close to that mark. From his years with Borussia Dortmund, then with Bayern Munich and now with Barcelona, 38 different clubs have conceded goals to him in the Champions League. That means that with just two more goals against opponents he has never scored on, the Polish striker would join Messi in that elite group.

However, that milestone has been delayed. Lewandowski reached the number 38 during the 2024-25 edition, but since then, his luck has turned. In the current season, Barcelona have faced three teams Robert had never scored against, but he could not break the streak.

Against Newcastle United, the Polish forward played 70 minutes and failed to score before being replaced by Andreas Christensen. Then, against Club Brugge, he came on in the second half for Ferran Torres and also did not score. And on Tuesday, Lewandowski again could not find the net against Eintracht Frankfurt during the 66 minutes he was on the pitch.

Lewandowski’s Champions League drought

Robert Lewandowski’s numbers this season are unusual. He is one of the top scorers in La Liga 2025-26 with eight goals, but in the Champions League he has not scored even once in the five matches he has played. Adding the final games of last season’s edition, the Polish striker is now sitting on a seven-match scoreless run in European competition.

However, in the final two games of the league phase, Lewandowski could not only end that negative streak, but also reach Lionel Messi’s record. Barcelona still have matches against Slavia Prague and Copenhagen to close out their participation in this stage of the Champions League, and those are two opponents Robert has never scored against. Should he do so, he will equal the Argentine forward.

Lewandowski’s favorite victims in the Champions League

As the third-highest scorer in Champions League history—behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi—it is no surprise that Robert Lewandowski is close to multiple records in the competition.

Among the 105 goals he has scored in Europe’s top club tournament, Lewandowski’s favorite victim is Benfica. He has scored nine goals against the Portuguese side, while he has found the net seven times against Red Star Belgrade. Behind them are Real Madrid and Salzburg, with six. In addition, Robert has scored against other European giants such as Barcelona, Arsenal, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Manchester City, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain.