BARCELONA (Reuters) - It didn’t take long for Robert Lewandowski to leave his mark with Barcelona in the Champions League.
Lewandowski scored three goals in the team’s opening 5-1 rout of Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday, becoming the first player to get a hat-trick with three different clubs in the Champions League.
The 34-year-old Poland striker now has seven Champions League hat-tricks, with the others coming with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Barcelona’s biggest signing of the year continued his great start to the season, taking his tally to eight goals from his first five matches.
“I knew from the beginning here it was going to be important to adapt right from the first game,” Lewandowski said. “People ask about the goals, but it’s important to be in the right position, to help my team because my teammates have helped me a lot on and off the pitch.”
Lewandowski said the goals were a gift to his wife, who was at Camp Nou celebrating her birthday.
Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said he was running out of words to praise his new striker.
Franck Kessie, another Barcelona signing, and Ferran Torres also scored for the host in the Group C match.