Ball – Thiago Thomas beat Lewandowski (Germany)

With each passing weekend, the world wakes up to reports of new achievements from Lewandowski, who has just hit 30 Bundesliga goals for the fifth time. But what he can’t even deny is that someone has a better efficiency rating than him in this edition of the main tournament in Germany.

The player in question… is Portuguese and has just landed in central Europe. Thiago Thomas, whose identity has been revealed, has caused an uproar since joining Stuttgart in January: he scored three goals in seven games and had a huge impact on the improvement of his new team’s performance.

Also last Saturday, the striker loaned from Sporting was the champion of Mercedes-Benz Arena, when he scored the goal that confirmed the victory (3-2), with a return, for Stuttgart in the reception of Augsburg. To the delight of the stands, his 85th-minute inspiration brought the team out of the relegation zone, a condition they had lost several weeks ago.

A “precious” winter promotion, in the German press’s description, TT engaged “fans and colleagues in his passionate style of play”. “It didn’t take him time to adapt. In addition, his intense and constant running gave the team the vertical offensive game it needed ”, read in the ZVW newspaper / website.

“He has speed and depth and knows how to use his body very well and manages to excite the nerves in the way he holds the ball and protects it,” said coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, his current player. A very positive opinion, reinforced by coach Sven Mislentat: “He has proven to be a very important addition to the team.”

So important, but so important – continues the German critic – that he even beats the inevitable Lewandowski in the course of effectiveness in that tournament. If the Bayern Munich star needs 4.3 shots to celebrate a goal, Thiago Thomas needs on average 3.3 shots on goal. Better, in his own bathroom, impossible to find.

But the latest round of the Bundesliga has brought additional curiosity to his biography. The Portugal Under-21 international (19) starred in the longest run of the 27th round, averaging 35.6 km/h, a record for Stuttgart this season.