“Breakfast, training, goals.” That is what the veteran superstar Polish striker and newest addition to the Barcelona football club, Robert Lewandowski, intends to do in order to improve the fortune of his new team as well as his overall legacy in professional football.
When he was proudly presented to the close to 60,000 Barcelona supporters at the legendary and historic Camp Nou stadium on Friday, the highly – talented and competitive striker, Lewandowski, was completely confident that he still possesses the hunger as well as the ability to turn around the Barcelona football club and make his new team the top squad in the Spanish La Liga League even at age of 33 – years – old in order to help the Catalan club get themselves back to greatness.
“First, I’m gonna eat breakfast so I won’t be hungry anymore and then I’m going for the training session,” the newly acquired powerful and talented striker Robert Lewandowski stated when he was asked what gets him up and going each and every day. “Of course, you know, it’s easier for me because I’m doing what I love. I have to say after so many years I still have this feeling, I still want to do even more … So long as I wake up and I don’t feel the pain, (and) I feel this hunger, that means I can still play at the top level.”
Barcelona has put all of their chips on their rebuild and revival on the veteran striker from Poland who is one of the greatest goal scorers the game has even seen. Following his 8 – highly successful seasons with the Bayern Munichfootball club of the German Bundesliga League, Lewandowski ultimately decided to begin a new chapter of his illustrious career playing professional football by moving to Spain in order to join the Barcelona football club.
As he does so during a crucial time, when Lewandowski can continue to maintain his status at the top of the game being considered as one of the best goal scorers in European professional football or he could go the other way and slowly begin to slip into the very tail end of his career.
The overall success of the Barcelona football club during the upcoming 2022 – 2023 European football season may rest on the shoulders of Lewandowski.
Robert is getting close to turning 34 – years – old just 1 – week following the Barcelona football club begins their upcoming football season versus the Rayo Vallecano football club on Saturday, August 13th, 2022.
“My age doesn’t matter,” Lewandowski said. “My body doesn’t feel that I am 33 and almost 34 years because I know that I can still play a few years at the top level. I feel better even than when I was 29 years old.”
The unveiling of Lewandowski at the Camp Nou stadium was the very 1st – opportunity for the Spanish fans of Barcelona’s football club to get a good look at Robert in person since he signed with Barca recently. Lewandowski inked a new 4 – year contract with the Barcelona football club just 2 – weeks ago following him joining the team on their pre – season tour of the United States of America after his 50 – million – euro ($50 million) transfer from the Bayern Munich football club.
Close to 60,000 Barcelona fans were allocated free admission and showed up to Camp Nou stadium in order to witness Lewandowski wear his new number 9 Barcelona football club jersey for the first time on that extremely hot and humid day.
Robert has been at the top of the German Bundesliga League scoring list in 7 – seasons, and he arrives to Spain in hopes of helping Barcelona rebound after only 1 – championship trophy over their past 3 – football seasons. Barca did win the Copa del Rey back in 2021, and that was their last championship title.
Barcelona was forced to have to sell off a large portion of their television rights as well as some of their own production company in order to get the liquid money necessary to even sign the Polish star striker in Lewandowski, the defender of Jules Koundé, and the winger in Raphinha. So, now the pressure is definitely on for Xavi Hernández’s team to win some championship trophies.
Lewandowski stated that he is heavily motivated by the challenge of turning around the Barcelona football club especially involving matches that have to do with Barca’s biggest rival in Real Madrid. Real Madrid’s football club was the ultimate victor of both the Spanish La Liga League championship as well as the Champions League title last season.
If there was any club to mark the course of Barcelona’s downfall from the elite group of European football over the course of the past few years it was Lewandowski’s team in Bayern Munich. The German Bundesliga Leaguepowerhouse handed the Barcelona football club quite a devastating 8 to 2 loss back in 2020, and they beat them two times during match play of the Champions League during the previous European football season through a combined 6 to 0 score in the group stage of the competition.
With all that said, now Lewandowski hopes to not only score his handful of goals, but also pass on his knowledge of the game through his great past experiences playing the game. He will help Barcelona’s younger players like the teenagers Pedi González, Ansu Fati, and Gavi Páez.
“I know we have a lot of young players with huge potential and they have a huge talent as well. But in the end, this mix between experience and the young players is also important,” Lewandowski goes on to say. “I can tell them and explain (things to them) because I saw a lot in my life in football.”
Robert’s unveiling came exactly 1 – year following Barcelona stunning their fans as well as the rest of the football world by publicly explaining that they were in such a state of financial ruin.
It was pretty much impossible for the debt – revenged football club to sign the legendary superstar footballer in Lionel Messi to a new contract, even when the football great was ready and willing to except a pay cut. Barcelona’s all – time leading goal scorer walked away for free to join the Paris Saint – Germain football club over the last year.
That was just the 1st of several difficult decisions that Barcelona’s club president, Joan Laporta, has had to make in attempt to save the football club that is currently burdened with $1 billion of debt due to their previous management.
Laporta explained that the latest arrival of Robert Lewandowski in Barcelona was a “historic day.”
“One year ago, we had to sadly make an announcement that was not wanted due to the economic situation of the club,”the Barcelona football club president Joan Laporta explained. “But a year has passed, and we can say that we are turning this situation around. We have come out of the hospital and are in better health.”
Robert Lewandowski’s Football Career Achievements, Honors, & Awards
Znicz Pruszków
- III liga: 2006 – 2007
Lech Poznań
- Ekstraklasa: 2009 – 2010
- Polish Cup: 2008 – 2009
- Polish Super Cup: 2009
Borussia Dortmund
- Bundesliga: 2010 – 2011, 2011 – 2012
- DFB – Pokal: 2011 – 2012
- DFL – Supercup: 2013
- UEFA Champions League Runner – Up: 2012 – 2013
Bayern Munich
- Bundesliga: 2014 – 2015, 2015 – 2016, 2016 – 2017, 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019, 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021, 2021 – 2022
- DFB – Pokal: 2015 – 2016, 2018 – 2019, 2019 – 2020
- DFL – Supercup: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021
- UEFA Champions League: 2019 – 2020
- UEFA Super Cup: 2020
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2020
Individual
- Ballon d’Or Striker of the Year: 2021
- European Golden Shoe: 2020 – 2021, 2021 – 2022
- The Best FIFA Men’s Player: 2020, 2021
- FIFA FIFPro World11: 2020, 2021
- FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball: 2020
- IFFHS World’s Best Man Player: 2020, 2021
- IFFHS World’s Best Top Goal Scorer: 2020, 2021
- IFFHS World’s Best International Goal Scorer: 2015, 2021
- IFFHS World’s Best Top Division Goal Scorer: 2021
- IFFHS Men’s World Team: 2020, 2021
- IFFHS World Team of the Decade: 2011 – 2020
- IFFHS UEFA Team of the Decade: 2011 – 2020
- UEFA Men’s Player of the Year: 2019 – 2020
- UEFA Champions League Forward of the Season: 2019 – 2020
- UEFA Champions League Top Goal Scorer: 2019 – 2020
- UEFA Champions League Top Assist Provider: 2019 – 2020
- UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season: 2015 – 2016, 2016 – 2017, 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2019, 2020
- UEFA Euro Qualifying Best Player: 2016
- Laureus World Sports Awards – Exceptional Achievement Award (2022)
- ESM Team of the Year: 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021, 2021 – 2022
- European Sportsperson of the Year: 2020
- World Soccer Player of the Year: 2020, 2021
- FourFourTwo Player of the Year: 2020, 2021
- Tuttosport Golden Player: 2020, 2021
- The Guardian Best Footballer in the World: 2020, 2021
- Goal 50: 2019 – 2020
- Globe Soccer Best Player of the Year: 2020
- Globe Soccer Fans’ Player of the Year: 2021
- Globe Soccer Maradona Award: 2021
- Guinness World Record (x4): 2015
- Ekstraklasa Best Player: 2009
- Ekstraklasa Top Goal Scorer: 2009 – 2010
- Ekstraklasa Goal of the Season: 2008 – 2009
- II liga Top Goal Scorer: 2007 – 2008
- III liga Top Goal Scorer: 2006 – 2007
- Polish Footballer of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021
- Polish Sports Personality of the Year: 2015, 2020, 2021
- Polish Young Player of the Year: 2008
- VDV Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2012 – 2013, 2016 – 2017, 2017 – 2018, 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021
- VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2012 – 2013, 2013 – 2014, 2014 – 2015, 2015 – 2016, 2016 – 2017, 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019, 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021, 2021 – 2022
- Bundesliga Player of the Season: 2016 – 2017, 2019 – 2020
- Bundesliga Goal of the Month: March 2019, August 2019, May 2021
- Bundesliga Top Goal Scorer: 2013 – 2014, 2015 – 2016, 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019, 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021, 2021 – 2022
- Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2012 – 2013, 2013 – 2014, 2014 – 2015, 2015 – 2016, 2016 – 2017, 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019, 2020 – 2021, 2021 – 2022
- Bundesliga Fantasy Team of the Season: 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021, 2021 – 2022
- Bundesliga Player of the Month: August 2019, October 2020
- Footballer of the Year in Germany: 2020, 2021
- Kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2013 – 2014, 2015 – 2016, 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019, 2019 – 2020, 2020 – 2021
- DFB – Pokal Top Goal Scorer: 2011 – 2012, 2016 – 2017, 2017 – 2018, 2018 – 2019, 2019 – 2020
- Bayern Munich Player of the Season: 2019 – 2020
Orders
- POL Polonia Restituta Komandorski BAR.svg Order of Polonia Restituta, Commander’s Cross: 2021
Sources:
Wilson, Joseph. “My age doesn’t matter:’ Lewandowski aims to rebuild Barça”. The Associated Press. Friday, August 5, 2022.
Football Reference News Services. “Robert Lewandowski”. Football Reference. Friday, August 5, 2022.