Bundesliga
Klaus Fischer: "Lewandowski can break Gerd Müller goal records"
Schalke legend Klaus Fischer has tipped Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski not just to replace him as the second-best Bundesliga goalscorer in history but to finish his career at the top of the pile.
Fischer, on 268 goals, is just one ahead of the prolific Pole in the all-time ranking, with former Bayern and West Germany hero Gerd Müller leading the list after striking 365 times in 427 league games.
Müller also holds the record for most goals in a Bundesliga season - having plundered 40 in the 1971/72 campaign - and Lewandowski is eyeing up that target after getting 31 in 23 appearances so far.
Watch: See how Lewandowski and Müller compare
Fischer, who played for 1860 Munich, Schalke, Cologne, and Bochum between 1968 and 1988, has backed 32-year-old Lewandowski to surpass Müller in the all-time scoring chart.
"I can see it happening when you look at his fitness and how few injuries he's had," Fischer told German sports magazine kicker. "If you look at [36-year-old] Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, there are still four good years left for Lewandowski.
"If he gets 40 this year, then 365 is also possible because he'll only need around 22 per season. Bayern will remain a leading team in Europe over the next few years too, so he'll be continuing to score his goals for a top team."
Lewandowski moved to within striking distance of Fischer's tally by scoring a hat-trick in Bayern's 4-2 win over his former club Borussia Dortmund. As a result, the 2020 world player of the year has now been tipped to break Müller's single-season record this term.
"He has a huge chance," Fischer said of the five-time Bundesliga top goalscorer. "He needs nine goals in the last 10 games of the season. The way the season has gone until now, you'd have to assume it's realistic. If he doesn't do it this time then he probably won't do it. Lewandowski isn't getting any younger either."
Lewandowski will next get a chance to edge closer to both of Müller's records when league leaders and defending champions Bayern visit Werder Bremen on Saturday. The Poland captain has netted 17 times in 20 league games against Bremen during his career, although he did fire one of only four blanks this season in a 1-1 draw against them in Munich on Matchday 8.