Robert Lewandowski Reflects on Barcelona’s Unique Request and His Future

Robert Lewandowski has addressed one of the most surprising incidents from his time at Barcelona. He recounted an event that occurred just two matches before the conclusion of the 2022-23 LaLiga season when several members of the club’s board requested that he refrain from scoring additional goals. At that time, the team had already secured the championship title, and Lewandowski was leading the scoring charts with 23 goals. This incident was detailed by Sebastian Staszewski in the biography he wrote about the forward, titled ‘Lewandowski. Prawdziwy’ (‘Lewandowski. The Real One’). The reason behind this unusual request was purely financial; the club was obligated to pay Bayern Munich a bonus of €2.5 million if Lewandowski reached 25 goals, a milestone they aimed to avoid.

In a recent interview on the YouTube channel of Polish journalist Bogdan Rymanowski, Lewandowski elaborated on what transpired that day. “There are some things I prefer not to discuss. I have great respect for Barcelona and the people who work there. I was aware of the club’s situation. There were many other matters that needed to be resolved for the benefit of the organization. In summary, it was about a bonus, and it was known that Barcelona was scrutinizing every euro at that time. It was a significant amount, but it didn’t change anything for me. I have no problem with that, but it did linger in my mind and made me question whether to score or not,” the striker stated.

Additionally, Lewandowski spoke about his future. The Polish forward is one of the Barcelona players whose contract expires in June 2026, and he has yet to renew with the club. If this situation persists, he could negotiate freely with other teams starting January 1. “I don’t discuss potential interests from other clubs with the coach. It’s not a question of cutting my salary in half. The decision will depend on what the club desires and what I believe is best for myself,” he conveyed to Rymanowski. He concluded with, “There is still time to decide. I don’t feel any pressure, and I am uncertain about the path I should take at this moment.”