Alonso-Leverkusen goodbye
In Germany, it’s goodbye for Xabi Alonso and Bayer Leverkusen with a pre-match ceremony held for the title-winning manager. Will it be hello Madrid soon?
Elsewhere
We’ve got your Sunday of sport covered with Premier League latest and the going-ons in the World Seniors Snooker Championship.
The battle within the battle
The challenge posed by Kylian Mbappé’s arrival in Spain has been expertly handled by Lewandowski. The acquisition of Mbappé was expected to propel Madrid to a new level after winning La Liga and the Champions League the previous season, making it even more unattainable for Lewandowski and his Barça teammates.
On the other hand, Lewandowski has led Barça’s attack to 91 goals in 34 games, which is 22 more than Madrid has scored. The Poland striker has scored 25 of them and had appeared certain to win La Liga’s Golden Boot, also known as the Pichichi, for a second time for the majority of the season.
But when Mbappé stormed back, a storyline involving the title race emerged in recent weeks. After his brace last weekend, he now has 24 goals in his first season in La Liga, while Lewandowski was out due to a hamstring injury. Once as large as eight goals, the gap is now just one.
The two forwards, who are ten years apart in age, must now win the Pichichi in a four-game shootout. Winning La Liga is obviously the primary goal, but any striker who claims they aren’t also motivated by personal recognition is most likely lying. Lewandowski and Mbappé have reached this place because of their ambition.
Barcelona don special shirt
Special number for Barca today – inspired by their combination with Spotify and artist Travis Scott.
