Klaus Fischer has scored 268 goals in his glorious career for 1860 Munich, Schalke 04, 1. FC Cologne and VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga. On Saturday, the now 71-year-old could lose his second place in the all-time top scorer list to Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, who stands at 267.
Goalscorer then and now: Klaus Fischer in the Schalke jersey and Robert Lewandowski.
picture alliance
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Are you watching Bayern’s game at Werder Bremen on Saturday, Mr. Fischer?
No, I take it easy. For me it is not a problem that Robert Lewandowski overtakes me, that has been clear for a long time.
How long have you been aware of it?
I can’t say the exact time, but if someone like Lewandowski scores between 25 and 35 goals per season, you can roughly calculate it. Lewandowski is currently the most complete striker ever, he hits with left, right and the head. And he plays in a top team that has won everything and in which he is responsible for scoring goals. He is also supplied with balls accordingly.
His 200th goal was only two years ago, what do you think of the crazy pace of goals?
Lewandowski has grown with the FC Bayern team. He is extremely fit and therefore almost never injured. It’s really impressive that it went so quickly.
Can he handle the season record of 40 goals by Gerd Müller from the 1971/72 season?
The chance is huge! He needs nine goals in the last ten games of the season. The way the season has gone so far, we have to assume that it is realistic. If he doesn’t make it now, then probably never again, after all Lewandowski won’t get any younger either.
With 98 goals behind, are the 365 from Müller, who seem forever unreachable, for first place in the list of all-time goalscorers?
I can imagine it with a view to his fitness and the few injuries. If you look at Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus, there are still four good years for Lewandowski. If he packs the 40 this year, the 365 are also possible, in four years that would then only be about 22 on average per season. In addition, Bavaria will remain the leader in Europe for the next few years, so he will continue to score his goals in a top team.
Are the comparisons with earlier times, i.e. with Müller or you, permissible or rather pointless?
You really shouldn’t compare them. We still had bullies against us, but that is no longer modern. If I were a coach these days, I would focus my main attention on Lewandowski in games against Bayern. Then he would have to deal with man-marking that he is not used to, and I don’t know if he would find it so great if someone stood on his feet for 90 minutes. Although other players can score goals at Bayern, Lewandowski is the most important man.
Will he catch up with you in Bremen on Saturday?
I assume so, yes!
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