If memory serves me correctly, when Robert Lewandowski signed for Barcelona back in 2022, the general discourse centred on why the club had gone for a player who had, for many, seen better days.
Not only that, but at a sizeable transfer fee and a significant wage, Barca were going to be hamstrung in the transfer market if they wanted to land any other big names.
What’s often forgotten is the position the club were in at the time, and the leap of faith it would’ve also taken from the Polish international
to join the Catalans.
Sure, Barca still has cachet all around the world, and will probably always have it, however, joining a club on the premise that they might somehow claw themselves back into the elite, rather than joining an outfit that was already there, takes courage.
Knowing he would have to prove himself all over again at the age of 34 would also have required absolute faith in his own ability to deliver again on the biggest of stages.
Barca needn’t have worried.
It’s difficult to put into words exactly what Lewy has meant to so many, but the show of appreciation for him at the culmination of Barca’s game against Betis said more than words ever could.
He showed that whilst form is temporary, class is indeed permanent, and Robert Lewandowski is all class.
Scoring 119 goals in all competitions shouldn’t be downplayed. After all, in the space of those four years, that output has placed him as a credible 11th on the all-time scorers list at the club.
To give even more perspective, he’d have only needed to score another 12 goals to have placed fifth in the all-time list, so to do so at such an advanced age and in a demanding league is worthy of the biggest of hat tips.
We are all in Lewy’s debt, and he will absolutely be a big miss up front for Hansi Flick, as much for his striking nous and experience as for his goals and assists.
Of course, the club wouldn’t be letting him go without another striker in the pipeline, but as I said in an earlier post, whoever it is will have some very big shoes to fill.
Wherever Lewandowski himself ends up, he should go with the very best of wishes from all culers.
He came, he saw, and he most definitely conquered. Goodbye Robert. Go well, and thank you… for everything.
