A recently published biography of Robert Lewandowski has ignited one of the strangest stories in recent Barcelona history. According to Sebastian Staszewski’s book Lewandowski. Prawdziwy (“Lewandowski.
The Real Deal”), the Polish striker was reportedly asked to stop scoring goals in the last two matches of the 2022–23 La Liga season. Barcelona had already clinched the title, and with Lewandowski sitting at 23 goals, a board member allegedly worried that reaching 25 would trigger a €2.5 million bonus payment to Bayern Munich.
“It’s shocking, and it was for Robert. He’d never had this kind of request before. He’s a striker, and everyone asks him to score, not not to,” Staszewski explained.
Lewandowski did not add to his tally in those final two games, though he still secured the Pichichi award as La Liga’s top scorer, finishing ahead of Karim Benzema.
While the story has captured headlines, a closer look raises several doubts. First, Barcelona had options far simpler than asking a world-class striker to consciously hold back. The club could have rested Lewandowski for one or both games, avoiding any potential embarrassment if he had tried to miss an easy chance on purpose, or financial peril if he ended up scoring anyway. Considering he hit the post in both matches, it seems Lewandowski did not follow the request, if it indeed was asked of him.
Second, the timing and feasibility of the request make it unusual. Lewandowski has spent years playing in top leagues where goals are his stock-in-trade. Asking him to restrain a professional instinct for the sake of saving a bonus seems both risky and implausible. There’s also no confirmation of who exactly delivered the message beyond an anonymous board member, leaving room for misinterpretation or exaggeration in the retelling.
Supporters of the story point to financial prudence as the motivation. Barcelona were, and remain, in a precarious financial situation, and small savings on bonuses could have significant implications. Staszewski himself noted that he “can understand why Barça would ask him to do that if they were in such a difficult situation,” though he also admitted that Lewandowski likely didn’t take it seriously.
However, it still does not explain why Barcelona couldn’t have opted to simply rest him in those final two games. Asking him to play and not score seems much more risky, and much more strange.
Staszewski remains steadfast in his version of events, telling Diario SPORT: “I confirmed it with three sources. I can’t tell you who was in that office when they asked Lewy not to score any more goals. But I can tell you that Laporta wasn’t there. There were important people there.”
Considering Lewandowski evidently didn’t take this request seriously, if it happened, there exists the possibility that the plea was more in jest than it is being presented.
Barcelona’s board members, however, have surprised us all from time to time. It’s entirely possible that this episode did happen, and the board member did mean it. It’s hard to prove a negative, but this story should be met with a healthy dose of skepticism.
