Can't stop, won't stop: Why Lewandowski's scoring streak beats the rest

The admission came from none other than Pep Guardiola, who already coached one of the greatest players of all time: What he just saw he had never seen before.

In nine minutes, history was made. Guardiola could only put his hands to his face, struck with awe, as he witnessed his substitute, Robert Lewandowski, score the fifth of his goals against Wolfsburg last week.

The records fell like shattered glass: Fastest player to three goals, fastest to four, fastest to five.

"People are asking me, 'What happened?' I'm answering, 'I have no idea!' Sometimes, we cannot describe it. I have never experienced such a situation before, neither as player nor as coach," Guardiola said.

Related: VIDEOS - Lewandowski scores 5 goals in 9 minutes as Bayern obliterates Wolfsburg

Little did he or anyone else know that it was just the beginning of possibly the greatest eight days of football a striker has ever played in the modern game.

Two more goals against Mainz on the weekend and another hat-trick against Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Tuesday brought his total to 10 strikes in three games. Not even Lionel Messi, who brought Guardiola so much joy in their time together at Barcelona, could produce such a burst of goals in so little time.

Messi once scored 11 times in three club matches, but that was over a 21-day period. The international break interrupted his greatness.

Nothing could stop Lewandowski.

These weren't layups, either. The 27-year-old Polish international made it to the highlight reels for his efforts - a volley here, a scorcher to the corner there. He did it against a Wolfsburg side on the heels of four consecutive clean sheets, and he did it against a Zagreb side that hadn't lost in its previous 45 matches.

This was quality opposition.

And Lewandowski could extend his scoring streak on Sunday against his former club, Borussia Dortmund. Storylines abound.

Of course, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have put up longer streaks: 18 goals in 10 games, 33 in 21, 12 in six. That longevity is indisputable.

But Lewandowski set new standards for scoring. He wasn't quite the quickest to get a goal in history, and he wasn't responsible for the fleetest hat-trick of all time. He has just been deadly accurate in one truly historic period.

Related: Lewandowski still 'thirsty for goals' despite ridiculous scoring run​

Those first five goals came off 10 total touches, and those 10 goals in total came off 14 shots.

The system under Guardiola allows a striker like Lewandowski to thrive. Each of his goals came with tidy service. He says he is simply on the end of it.

"With Douglas Costa and (Kingsley) Coman on the wings, there are lots of crosses and therefore lots of chances in the box," Lewandowski told ESPN FC. "It also helps that Thomas Muller is playing very closely to me, like a second striker."

Still, it requires a special resourcefulness to score five as a substitute with a 1-0 deficit at halftime. In that game against Wolfsburg, Guardiola played Lewandowski out of necessity. This wasn't the plan. He took the initiative, and eventually the game, on his own accord.

Maybe that's because Lewandowski plays so simply in an increasingly complex game. The way he plays is direct; he doesn't look all that menacing, and he isn't the tallest striker to play. But he moves so well, and he finds the little spaces to do big things. There is no hesitation, just a couple of touches and a shot.

The Guardian's Barney Ronay called it "mundane brilliance," and that's the perfect oxymoron to describe this throwback player.