Robert Lewandowski causes a stir with statements: The striker confirms that he deliberately considered a possible goal waiver at the end of the 2023 season. The background was apparently an explosive bonus arrangement between FC Barcelona and FC Bayern.
In an interview with Polish journalist Bogdan Rymanowski, the 37-year-old spoke publicly for the first time about the speculation that FC Barcelona had asked him not to score before the final games of the 2022/23 season. The reason: a contractually agreed bonus would have earned the Catalans a payment of €2.5 million to FC Bayern – if Lewandowski had scored 25 league goals. In the end, he stopped at 23 goals.
„There are things I don’t want to talk about. I have great respect for Barcelona and the people who work there. I was aware of the club’s situation. There were many other problems that had to be solved for the good of the club,“ Lewandowski explained on Rymanowski’s YouTube channel.
The statements confirm in part what was previously hinted at in the biography „Lewandowski. The Real One“ by Sebastian Staszewski, which states that club officials approached the striker two match days before the end to persuade him to hold back on scoring. FC Barcelona were already Spanish champions at this point – so there was nothing more at stake for Lewandowski in sporting terms.
Lewandowski: „I couldn’t get it out of my head“
The attacker himself let it slip that the bonus clause was definitely on his mind: „In short, it was a bonus, and everyone knows that Barcelona were keeping a close eye on every euro at the time, and it was no small matter. It didn’t change anything for me. I have no problem with it, but I couldn’t get it out of my head and I was thinking about whether I should score a goal or not.“
It remains to be seen whether the former Bayern star ultimately complied with this possible request or whether the goalless performances against Mallorca and Vigo were simply for sporting reasons. Lewandowski played the full game in both matches – but did not score.
What is clear is that the Pole’s statements have fueled speculation and shed light on the financial woes of a world-class club that apparently has to calculate down to the last detail – even when it comes to the goals scored by its superstars.
