The Polish striker looked finished at the highest level after losing his 'spark' in 2023, but he's now on fire again
Robert Lewandowski is never short of a word or two of advice for Lamine Yamal. He's warned his teenage team-mate of the potential pitfalls of fame and fortune. He's underlined the importance of patience and professionalism. However, Lewandowski has also acknowledged that there are certain aspects of Yamal's situation to which he can't really relate.
The pressure on players is now heavier than ever before. There is no room for nuance, only absolutes, with goals and assists stats seemingly the only accepted measurement of efficacy. Takes must always be hot, judgements almost instantaneous and, in the age of social media, a lie really can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its boots.
"When I started out, it was different," Lewandowski pointed out in an interview with . "You waited until Monday for the newspaper to come out and that was it, as the internet was still in its infancy."
It has since spawned a social media monster, radically changing the way in which players experience the game and interact with its followers, and the mere fact that Lewandowski's career spans two such very different eras is testament to a level of sustained excellence that has only been bettered over the past two decades by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
But not even those two living legends were still playing for a legitimate Champions League contender at 36 years of age, which is just the most incredible position for Lewandowski to find himself so soon after it appeared as though his time at the highest level was drawing to an ignominious end…
AFP'This performance will go down in history'
As Lewandowski gets ready to lead the line for Barcelona in Tuesday's Champions League home quarter-final clash with former club Borussia Dortmund, it's a little hard to believe but it's now almost exactly 11 years since he ripped Real Madrid to shreds during a sensational display at Signal Iduna Park for BVB.
"This performance will go down in history," Jurgen Klopp enthused after the Poland international became the first man to score four goals in a Champions League semi-final.
At the time, there was no more sought-after striker in the world, as it's rare that such a prolific player becomes available on a free transfer while still only 24, and it almost didn't seem fair that he joined Bayern Munich for nothing at the end of the 2013-14 season.
The Bundesliga's 'Bond villain' now had its most fearsome forward. World domination appeared inevitable, and so it proved, with Lewandowski firing Bayern to eight consecutive titles, as well as Champions League glory as part of a historic treble in 2020.
He broke the Bundesliga's single-season goal-scoring record along the way, while also collecting two European Golden Shoes. Rather remarkably, he's now in contention to claim a third.
AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'The most difficult decision of my life'
Lewandowski's time at the Allianz Arena did not end well. Unsurprisingly, Bayern weren't exactly keen to get rid of a player who had scored 344 times in just 375 games for them – but Lewandowski was determined to leave.
He insisted it had been "the most difficult decision" of his life but nonetheless felt that his "story" in Bavaria had reached its logical conclusion. It was time, he argued, to write a "new chapter" elsewhere and his desire to do so in Barcelona made sense.
The Blaugrana's willingness to pay €45 million (£38m/$49m) for his services raised some eyebrows, though, given their financial problems. "I know that I will be 34 soon," Lewandowski said. "But I feel very strong physically and mentally, Barcelona saw it the same way."
Joan Laporta's lever-pull on Lewandowski paid off immediately, with the striker scoring a Pichichi-winning 23 goals in 34 Liga games as Barcelona reclaimed the Spanish title from Real Madrid.
Getty Images Sport'A moment where my spark went out'
However, Lewandowski's efficacy and influence began to tail off towards the end of the 2022-23 season and, after an uninspiring start to the following campaign, some supporters and pundits began to openly wonder just how long the veteran forward could be allowed to continue leading the line for a team with Champions League aspirations.
Crucially, Lewandowski wasn't just dealing with external criticism either; he was toiling internally too. "There was a period in 2023 when I felt not only mentally weaker, but physically weaker too," he admitted to . "All the bad and negative things seemed to come together at the same time. Everything just accumulated.
"Of course, I made mistakes too. I fell into a kind of current and it took me too long to get out of it, to get back to normal, and in football it’s not so easy to do it in a week or two weeks.
"During that period I did physical tests and individual training in my free time and it turned out that they looked good and also gave me a lot of answers. I could see that I was still moving forward physically. But, yes, in 2023, there was definitely a moment where my spark went out."
Happily, he's burning brightly at Barcelona again.
AFP'I feel fantastic physically'
It felt rather telling that while describing the occasionally strained nature of his relationship with Lewandowski last season, Yamal passed their issues off to the inevitable contrast in character caused by the youthful "energy" that fuels him and his veteran colleague feeling a little "worn out" after so many years at the top.
This year, though, the pair are on great terms and while that can obviously be partially attributed to the improvements the rapidly-developing Yamal has made to his game, as well as the general shift in atmosphere within a revitalised team presently chasing a treble, it's also clear that Lewandowski is enjoying his football again primarily because he is feeling like his old self again.
"A lot of people mention my age, but I feel fantastic physically," Lewandowski told after netting twice in Barca's 4-1 rout of Girona on March 30. "Looking at the data, there's no difference between now and a few years ago. I know I'm working as hard as ever and I want to play at the highest level for a few more years."
There's certainly no reason he cannot achieve that aim.
