After a stellar debut year in Spain, Robert Lewandowski has no intention of slowing down at Barcelona the following year.
After announcing his intention to leave Bayern Munich, the seasoned Polish international signed with La Blaugrana at the beginning of the 2022–23 campaign.
Lewandowski, who turned 34 in August, has defied his age in Catalonia, leading the top division scoring charts with 22 league goals.
With a five-goal advantage over 2022 winner Karim Benzema in the last stages of the season, he is well-positioned to win the Pichichi Trophy.
Lewandowski hopes to continue making progress in the coming months after his goals helped Barcelona win the La Liga title for the first time since 2019.
“More than 30 goals in my first season? I would have signed for that at the start of the campaign”, as per reports from Marca.
“It was difficult at the start, with the World Cup on the horizon, it wasn’t a normal pre-season. I’m sure I can do better in the second season.”
Early skepticism existed around Lewandowski’s hiring by Barcelona in July. Nobody questioned his stellar performance during a decade in Germany with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, but the €45 million transfer fee for a player about to turn 34 did raise questions, especially in light of Barca’s financial constraints. To pay for their spending spree in the transfer market last summer, they had to sell club assets, including Lewandowski’s contract.
Lewandowski dispelled any misgivings, though, by scoring nine goals in his first seven league appearances.
Lewandowski has scored 32 goals across all competitions through 44 games played, but he will fall short of Bayern’s records, which include 40+ goals in each of the previous seven seasons.
Erling Haaland had attracted interest from a number of teams last summer, including Barcelona. They went all-in on Lewandowski as soon as it became clear he would be joining Manchester City. The bond between Lewandowski and Barca president Joan Laporta, Pini Zahavi, and coach Xavi Hernandez, who was bordering on desperate to sign him, all helped to facilitate the agreement with Bayern Munich.
Barca were looking for a number of things in Lewandowski: Of course, they wа𝚗теԀ his goals most of all, but they also believed that his leadership and wisdom would benefit the club’s youthful members. Although there were still seasoned players like Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, and Sergio Busquets on the first team squad, insiders told ESPN that the lack of аттаcƙ experience was seen as a problem.
Lewandowski’s arrival was anticipated to help youngsters like Pedri and Gavi grow while also relieving burden on winger
“It is easy to link with a player like Lewandowski,” Pedri said in September. “It is a luxury to play with him.”
Off the field, he adapted to life in Gava, a little village down the coast from Barcelona, very fast. Lewandowski frequently does individual training sessions on the neighborhood beach with his wife and kids and has blended in well. He doesn’t hide himself; you can frequently see him taking his kids to ballet classes and doing his grocery shopping at nearby stores. While his wife, Anna, has organized boot camps that have been well-liked by the Polish ex-pat population in Catalonia, the family occasionally takes the train into Barcelona for a little of sightseeing.
Since the World Cup in Qatar has concluded, Robert Lewandowski has changed as a player for Barcelona