World Cup 2018: 5 pairs of clubmates who will go head-to-head in the group stage

#3 James Rodriguez - Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Bayern Muenchen v RSC Anderlecht - UEFA Champions League — James Rodriguez and Robert Lewandowski are clubmates at Bayern Munich

James Rodriguez and Robert Lewandowski, who will be playing for Colombia and Poland respectively at the World Cup, are teammates at German club Bayern Munich. The two have joined their national teams after a league title-winning campaign for their club.

Rodriguez is actually a Real Madrid player but moved to Bayern last summer on a two-year loan deal. The Colombian scored seven goals and assisted eleven in Bundesliga last season and will be hoping to take that form to Russia. The 26-year-old along with veteran striker Radamel Falcao will be Los Cafeteros' rays of hope in the tournament.

Like Rodriguez, his clubmate is also a pivotal part of his team. It won't be too wrong to say that Poland is totally dependent on Lewandowski and his performances. Despite the presence of some good players like Kamil Glik, Piotr Zielinski, Jan Bednarek, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Arkadiusz Milik, etc, a lot of the side's weight is expected to be on the 29-year-old striker.

The two group H sides will lock horns on the 24th of June.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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Edited by Raunak J