Germany vs Poland: Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller to break up… for one night only

‘With Thomas Muller, I could play with my eyes closed.’ Lewandowski on Muller
Archie Rhind-Tutt16 June 2016

Bayern Munich boast a few special partnerships. There is the world-class wing duo of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, collectively known as ‘Robbery’ by the German press. Then you have the younger, dangerous wide pairing of Kingsley Coman and Douglas Costa, christened ‘Coco’ in September. Yet neither ‘Robbery’ nor ‘Coco’ have been as important as ‘Mullandowski’ in the past season.

That is the clunkier name German national newspaper BILD gave to Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski — the special couple in the Bundesliga at present, who will be on opposing teams at Euro 2016 tonight.

After racking up 50 Bundesliga goals in a campaign, the pair finished just four off the all-time record set by Wolfsburg’s Grafite and Edin Dzeko in 2009.

They fell short, too, of the Bayern club record tally of 53 which legendary duo Gerd Muller and Uli Hoeness managed twice in the Seventies. Still, Lewandowski finished as the division’s top scorer with 30, while Muller chipped in with 20. The next best total in the champions’ squad was four, showing the pair’s significant role in Bayern’s unprecedented fourth straight league title.

“If we are both on the pitch, each of us has more space in the box because the opposition defence cannot concentrate on one of us,” said Muller in March, as he explained the dynamics of their relationship.

“We know who runs where and have a good sense of one another. ‘Lewy’ is the central striker, I just like to roam around him.”

Lewandowski put it in simpler terms a little earlier in the campaign. “With Thomas Muller, I could play with my eyes closed.”

At the Stade de France tonight, those eyes will be wide open as the players go head-to-head for Poland and Germany respectively.

For their club, they are two of the biggest stars but in their home countries, Lewandowski and Muller are the leading stars, albeit in their own way.

Such is the talent Germany have, it is a closer run thing for Muller but his personality and style give him the edge. “He is likable, authentic, intelligent and funny,” as German football pundit Reiner Calmund put it. So much so that Muller is often described as the perfect son-in-law.

His status has only increased since a breakthrough 2010 World Cup, where the then 20-year-old finished top scorer. You might remember his brace in the 4-1 win over England but you might not know about his post-match interview where a jubilant Muller asked the TV reporter if he could say hello to someone down the camera.

The reporter obliged, so he greeted his grandparents. “It is long overdue!” chimed Muller, with a wink, as he created the sort of moment that has endeared him to the German public ever since.

That he is so unorthodox on the pitch only adds to his appeal. He coined the description of his instinctive ability to find space back in 2011, saying: “I am a ‘Raumdeuter’ [space interpreter]. That would be a good headline, wouldn’t it?”

Euro 2016: Day Three In Pictures

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In comparison to this happy-go-lucky ‘space interpreter’, the classic No9 that is Lewandowski looks a little strait-laced. Most would agree that the Poland captain does not greet the limelight in the same way as his Bayern strike partner.

There are still quirks to Lewandowski, however. This season, on the advice of his wife Anna, a fitness instructor, he has reversed the order in which he eats to improve his fat burning. First comes the cake, then pasta and meat, with soup and salad to finish.

His performances make it hard to argue with his methods, particularly the record-breaking five goals in nine minutes he managed against Wolfsburg in September.

That performance took Lewandowski’s popularity to new heights back in Poland, where football has not always flourished. Last year, for instance, Lewandowski become the first footballer to be named as the Polish Sports Personality of the Year in 33 years. Being the top scorer in qualifying for Euro 2016 helped but there is an appreciation for his success over the border with Bayern.

Scoring in a win against Germany at the Euros would take Lewandowskimania to an all-time high. To cherish a victory against their neighbours, the Poles do not need to think about the political history between the countries, either.

Take the fact that Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, two of Germany’s top three all-time goalscorers, were both born in Poland, or that Polish victories in this fixture are rare.

When qualifying for the Euros, Poland recorded their first win against the world champions in 19 attempts — ‘the end of the biggest disgrace in Polish football’, as one newspaper put it.

Lewandowski did not score that night but he was on target in the return fixture last September in Frankfurt. So, too, was Muller, though, as Germany won 3-1.

At the Stade de France this evening, ‘Mullandowski’ will be separated again but, once more, Lewandowski is the one likely to be left heartbroken, only this time in the city of love.

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