Timo Werner: "Only Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are playing at Lewandowski's level"
Robert Lewandowski is playing "on a level with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo", says fellow Bundesliga striker, RB Leipzig hotshot, Timo Werner.
Timo Werner acknowledges that while he isn't too far behind, he has little hope of outscoring Robert Lewandowski in the Bundesliga this season, as the Bayern Munich forward's form can only be matched by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Lewandowski has been in inspirational form since the new campaign started.
Werner banging them in for Leipzig
RB Leipzig striker Werner has scored an impressive 11 league goals so far in 2019-20, yet he lags behind the remarkable Lewandowski. The Bayern and Poland ace has struck 16 times in the Bundesliga and leads the way among players in Europe's top leagues this season, with 23 goals in 18 games in all competitions – including at least one goal in each top-flight and Champions League match.
Werner believes only all-time greats Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo can reach the extraordinary standards set by Lewandowski.
"It's hard [to be top-scorer]," Werner told a news conference on Thursday. "When you score two goals against Hertha Berlin and then watch the game evening game, having scored four or three goals less than Robert Lewandowski this season, and he scores twice against Borussia Dortmund... Against whom is he not going to score? That's very hard. How he is playing at the moment, maybe only one or two players on the planet are on this level. That's the category of Messi and Ronaldo."
Werner plays down Bayern Munich interest
Werner was speaking alongside team mate Joshua Kimmich - both are expected to be handed run-outs in Germany's two engagements during this international break - against Belarus on Saturday, then Northern Ireland on Tuesday. The duo each came through the Stuttgart academy before moving on to Leipzig, but Werner claimed he was not discussing a next move with Bayern's Kimmich, despite repeated talk of him switching to the Allianz Arena.
"We don't really talk about it at all," he said. "It was also a coincidence that I came to Leipzig when he was there. I don't copy everything that Joshua Kimmich does. If he goes to Real Madrid, that doesn't means I will automatically follow him. Leipzig was the perfect step for me as well as for him. He took the step to Bayern Munich relatively early, which was also a good step. Now I'm still a player at Leipzig. That was the right step for me. I don't know what the future will bring. But I won't imitate Joshua and go wherever he is."
Germany and Netherlands tussle for top spot in Group C
Germany are level on 15 points with the Netherlands at the top of Group C. They play host to Belarus on Saturday before flying out to Belfast for the final qualifying match against Northern Ireland on Tuesday.