Natural disaster

A natural disaster changed the course of his career

Back in 2010, in the summer of his move to Borussia Dortmund, Lewandowski was due to travel to the UK to visit Blackburn Rovers' facilities ahead of a proposed move to the second-tier English side. Lewandowski was excited about the opportunity to play in England, but his flight coincided with the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull, an event that disrupted all air traffic in Europe for several weeks and prevented him from travelling.

"Did it change my life? No doubt, maybe if I had met with Blackburn I would have stayed there," Lewandowski later said. He moved to German side Borussia Dortmund instead and the rest, as they say, is history.

Generational battle

Eight months separate the births of two great players of our time. The careers of Karim Benzema and Lewandowski have been intertwined for years, but this season marks the first occasion in which they will face off in the same domestic competition -- La Liga.

They have been ever-present in the elite of world football for over a decade, playing in many editions of the Champions League, and are currently engaged in an ever-changing battle to be third in the tournament's all-time scoring charts. Now, they will also do battle for the Pichichi Award.

Motorsport is passion

Lewandowski's interest in sport is not just limited to football. He has been spotted playing tennis, golf and, above all, attending Formula 1 races. The Polish international has been spotted at iconic Grand Prix events such as Monaco, to indulge in one of his big passions.

"I've followed F1 since I was very young and I always remember Michael Schumacher, everything he achieved was unbelievable," he once revealed about one of his idols and inspirations.

Fitness freak

When he was 33 last season, Lewandowski scored an incredible 50 goals in 46 games. Stats like that are only possible with a combination of talent and physical prowess, something the Pole takes care of almost to the extreme. His former team-mate at Bayern Munich, and former Athletic Club star, Javi Martinez once said that at pre-season camp he often tried to get Lewandowski to try some typical sweets he had brought back from Spain.

The Polish striker constantly refused, in line with his strict diet. Lewandowski has stated on many occasions that he tries to control all factors that can determine his physical condition, even his sleeping positions, to minimise chances of injury and maximise his on-field performance.