'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Since Robert Lewandowski's move to Barcelona was announced earlier this month, football fans have been looking forward to the Pole's rivalry with Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema.
However, the former Bayern Munich maestro has distanced himself from those talks, reiterating that his focus will be on what his team is doing during the season.
Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema are clearly two of the finest strikers in the football world at the moment. Hence, it's natural that fans will come up with such comparisons.
The Real Madrid superstar played a huge role in his team's domestic and continental success last season and his Barcelona counterpart has nothing but words of praise for him.
"Benzema is an amazing player, he showed that in the last Champions League season; what he did during the games against PSG, Chelsea or Man City," Lewandowski said as he hailed the Frenchman's impact.
"He's already, I don't know how many years, 10 or even 12 years in La Liga. He knows this league a lot. Even in the Champions League, he showed that he's one of the best players, and I think that is very nice to see so many good strikers in La Liga. For sure that will be more interesting for the fans."
Commenting on the supposed rivalry between the two superstars, the new Barcelona signing hinted that it would be unfair as he's just starting a new chapter in the Spanish top flight.
He said:
"For me, I didn't want to compare with him because for me it will be something new, and I accept this, but for him he's already here [in LaLiga] many years and he has shown already in the last year how good he is.
"For me, more important will be what we're going to do with the team. How are we going to play? How can we go from win to win? This is my goal."
Barcelona vs Real Madrid, Robert Lewandowski vs Karim Benzema: El Clasico will be interesting next season
Despite distancing himself from the rivalry, fans will still be eager to see how Robert Lewandowski fares against Karim Benzema next season.
That will surely give us another point to focus on during the Clasico, just like in the Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo days.
Both strikers have the pedigree to step up and steal the highlights on the big occasions and they've proven it with their performances over the years. It's definitely worth watching out for.
