Playing under Xavi at the time, the Polish forward had joined from Bayern Munich for £44 million, where he had amassed an incredible 344 goals in 375 matches. ..Continue Reading
From an outside perspective, his move to Catalonia seemed destined to continue that prolific trend, with Lewandowski consistently performing at elite goalscoring levels throughout his career.
Scoring is central to his game, and each goal reduces pressure on the defence as Barcelona chase domestic and European glory.
However, a newly released biography has cast fresh scrutiny on the club, revealing a remarkable behind-the-scenes moment during the final phase of the 2022/23 La Liga campaign — one that challenged the very essence of the term “striker.”
In “Lewandowski. Prawdziwy” (“Lewandowski. The Real One”), author Sebastian Staszewski claims that Barcelona asked Lewandowski to stop scoring goals, according to GOAL.
With two fixtures remaining and the league title already secured under Xavi Hernandez, the situation reportedly took an unusual turn.
Staszewski writes that Lewandowski was called in for talks with senior club officials shortly after Barcelona clinched the championship.
At that point, he was leading the league’s scoring chart with 23 goals, well ahead of his rivals. “Robert, we need you to stop scoring goals in the last two matches,” a board member oddly requested.
Lewandowski was taken aback by the unexpected suggestion. In all his years as a professional, no team had ever asked him to ease off. But the motive wasn’t tactical — it was financial.
Barcelona, still grappling with major financial challenges, had a clause in play.
If Lewandowski reached 25 league goals, the club would owe Bayern Munich an extra £2.2 million in performance-related bonuses from his transfer deal.
With the title already secured and finances tight, the club allegedly chose a controversial route to avoid triggering the payment.
Lewandowski featured in both remaining games but didn’t add to his tally. He still claimed the Pichichi Trophy as La Liga’s top scorer, finishing ahead of Karim Benzema.
Since then, he’s had full freedom to continue scoring, and his record at Barcelona now stands at 108 goals in 159 appearances, maintaining his status among the world’s elite forwards.
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