Keep your distance! Liverpool target Timo Werner bags Bundesliga hat-trick - but teammate gets too close for comfort
Erling who? German striking sensation Timo Werner scored his first goals of the resumed Bundesliga season on Sunday ahead of a rumored summer switch to the Premier League - just don't think about celebrating too close to him!
The RB Leipzig star bagged three goals in his team's 5-0 away win at Mainz, becoming the first Bundesliga player in over 20 seasons to score hat-tricks against the same side in both the home and away fixtures of a single season.
The three goals took the 24-year-old marksman's tally to an impressive 30 across all competitions this campaign, including 22 in just 27 games in the German top flight.
It was his third time to score three times in a single game so far this year, joining him with Lionel Messi as the only players in Europe's top leagues to accomplish that this season.
Werner scored three and added a further three assists when Leipzig outgunned Mainz earlier in the season.
Timo Werner's hat trick is his third of the season, the most in Europe's top five leagues this season alongside Lionel Messi 💥 pic.twitter.com/iVq90tHtSz
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 24, 2020
Timo Werner’s Bundesliga record by season for RB Leipzig:2016/17: 31 games, 21 goals2017/18: 32 games, 13 goals2018/19: 30 games, 16 goals2019/20: 27 games, 22 goalsA new personal best. pic.twitter.com/5Y9VmSL7My
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) May 24, 2020
Who would you rather sign?Erling Haaland for £60m.Timo Werner for £40m.
— Goal (@goal) May 24, 2020
The world's football media has focused almost entirely on the goalscoring exploits of Norwegian teenage star Erling Haaland this season but neither he, nor Bayern Munich's free-scoring Pole Robert Lewandowski, have managed to plunder quite as many hat tricks as the 29 times capped German international.
The German top flight once again featured its games taking place behind closed doors in compliance with a range of measures introduced to return to an active sports schedule in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As with last weekend, players were discouraged from needless contact with one another - and this was perhaps best shown when Werner appeared to shun a teammate who attempted to celebrate alongside him.
Liverpool bound pic.twitter.com/RBQgAuUcw4
— Kene 🌍 (@Its_Kene) May 24, 2020
3 - Following his treble today against Mainz, Timo Werner has become the first Bundesliga player to net a hat-trick both home & away versus the same side in the same campaign since Ulf Kirsten did so for Bayer 04 Leverkusen versus Borussia Mönchengladbach back in 1998/99. Poetry. pic.twitter.com/NF2BBbdg5C
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 24, 2020
Next goal celebration Timo Werner gonna run to the camera and mouth “SOMEONE PLEASE BUY ME” 😂😂
— Aaron West (@oeste) May 24, 2020
Werner has been strongly linked with a transfer to the English Premier League in the summer, with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea thought to be in pole position to secure his services. RB Leipzig will no doubt be happy with their star forward's contribution on Sunday as it moved them to within seven points of league leaders Bayern Munich - and no doubt added a few hundred thousand to his market value.
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