A striker that went on to terrorize Bundesliga defenders for more than a decade, and now his brilliant goalscoring exploits are being showcased in Spain. Robert Lewandowski is undoubtedly one of the greatest strikers the game has ever seen, and arguably the best Polish footballer in history. Even at the age of 34, Lewandowski is still going strong and played a huge role in Barcelona's magnificent season that saw them win La Liga after a long gap. Despite receiving various individual and collective honors throughout his career, Lewandowski is extremely unfortunate to not have won the Ballon d'or. The striker would've surely received the ultimate individual accolade if the event had not been canceled due to the Coronavirus that year. This article will be looking at one of the earliest phases of Lewandowski's career, when he joined Borussia Dortmund and began his journey of conquering German football.

First Bundesliga title with Dortmund

Robert Lewandowski joined Borussia Dortmund from Lech Poznań for €4.5 million in June 2010. His first goal for the club came in the month of September, as Dortmund beat rivals Schalke 3-1. Even though he wasn't a regular starter for the team at the time, Lewandowski ended his first season with Dortmund on a successful note by winning the Bundesliga title.

The historic double season

An injury to Lucas Barrios during the 2011–12 Bundesliga campaign became a blessing in disguise for Lewandowski, as it resulted in the player being elevated to an ever-present position in the starting XI until the winter break. He seized this opportunity with both hands, as the player began to score several crucial goals for the club. One of his most notable performances that season came against Augsburg, which saw him score a hat-trick and provide an assist in a 4-0 thrashing. Lewandowski's brilliant run of form at the time saw him named as the Footballer of the Year in Poland.

His brilliant goalscoring form continued even after the winter break. Borussia Dortmund eventually finished that season as league champions, with their final league of the season ending on a 4-0 victory that saw Lewandowski score a brace.

The Polish International ended the season on a historic note as well, as he scored a hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the 2012 DFB-Pokal Final which ended in a 5-2 victory for Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund achieved a historic double, and Robert Lewandowski was one of the major reasons for the club's historic success. He finished that year as 3rd top scorer with 22 goals, and also provided 6 assists.

Lewandowski's Golden Era: Dominating the Bundesliga and Europe

The 2012–13 season began on a sour note for Lewandowski and Dortmund, as his goal wasn't enough to overcome rivals Bayern as they lost the match 1-2 in the 2012 DFL-Supercup. Lewandowski continued his fine form for Dortmund that season as well, as he kept on scoring at a brilliant rate.

Lewandowski's magnificent scoring form resulted in him setting the club's new record of longest scoring streak, having scored in 12 consecutive league games. The previous record was held by Friedhelm Konietzka from the 1964–65 season.

It was during February 2013 that then Dortmund Director Michael Zorc revealed that Lewandowski would not be renewing his contract and would leave either in the summer of 2013 or after the 2013–14 season. Lewandowski finished that season with 24 league goals, one goal short of the Bundesliga's top scorer, Bayer Leverkusen's Stefan Kießling.

Dortmund were knocked out of the DFB-Pokal quarter final by Bayern after a 1-0 defeat, and it was only in the Champions League that season were Lewandowski and his team truly shined.

Borussia Dortmund compensated for their poor performances in domestic competitions with a brilliant display in the Champions League which saw them reach all the way till the final.

One of the most memorable moments came in the semi-finals, as Robert Lewandowski became the first player to score four goals in a Champions League semi-final as Borussia Dortmund defeated Spanish champions Real Madrid 4–1 in the first leg at Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park.

They eventually overcame Madrid and were set to face rivals Bayern in the final. Unfortunately for Dortmund and Lewandowski, their European dreams ended in heartbreak as Bayern beat them 2-1.

Final season

Lewandowski and Dortmund were able to get a sweet revenge on Bayern, as they beat them 4-2 to win the 2013 DFL-Supercup. The Polish international continued his impressive goalscoring form at the club, and ended that season as league top scorer with 20 goals. His final match for Dortmund was the 2014 DFB-Pokal Final again Bayern Munich on May 17th, which they ended up posing 2-0.

That was the end of Lewandowski at Dortmund, and the events that followed are familiar to most. Robert Lewandowski joined rivals Bayern Munich on a free transfer and went on to establish himself as one of the greatest strikers in the game.