Robert Lewandowski made his return to FC Barcelona’s starting lineup in spectacular fashion, delivering a hat-trick against Celta Vigo. By finding the back of the net three times on Sunday, the Polish star carved his name into La Liga history.
Barcelona traveled to Vigo for Matchday 12 of the 2025–26 La Liga season and came away with a thrilling 4–2 win. Lewandowski opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 10th minute, then struck again in the 37th after a brilliant cross from Marcus Rashford. In the second half, the veteran completed his hat-trick in the 73rd minute with a towering header to seal the victory.
With the performance, Robert Lewandowski became the fourth-oldest player ever to score a hat-trick in La Liga. The striker reached the milestone at 37 years and 80 days, further underscoring his elite level despite his veteran status.
He also became the oldest player in Barcelona history to record a La Liga hat-trick. On the league’s all-time list, only Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano (37 years, 255 days), Real Betis icon Joaquín (38 years, 140 days), and Granada’s Jorge Molina (39 years, 241 days) were older when achieving the feat.
Robert Lewandowski of FC Barcelona celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammate Marcus Rashford.
Lewandowski began the 2025–26 campaign sidelined with injury and later missed additional time following a controversial setback on the October international break with Poland, which kept him out of El Clásico. In his first start since returning, he reminded the league of his class, lifting his tally to seven goals, second only to Kylian Mbappé’s 13.
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Lewandowski surpasses Neymar
After shattering records at Bayern Munich, Lewandowski made a bold career move in 2022 by leaving his comfort zone at age 33 to join Barcelona. Since then, he has consistently proven himself as one of the greatest strikers of the 21st century, and now he has passed another club legend.
With his hat-trick against Celta Vigo, Lewandowski surpassed Neymar’s total of 105 goals in 186 appearances for Barcelona. The Polish forward now sits at 108 goals, placing him 16th on the club’s all-time scoring chart alongside Luis Enrique. With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, he will have additional opportunities to climb toward the top 10, currently rounded out by Ángel Arocha with 127 goals.
