Lewandoski reveals why Barcelona wanted him to miss goals

Robert Lewandowski in a new interview, has opened up on why Barcelona wanted him to miss goals in his first season with the La Liga giants.

Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski has shed light on the depth of the club's financial struggles during his first year in Spain, revealing that he was subtly encouraged to limit his goal-scoring to save the club money.

The Polish veteran recently sat down for an interview with Radio Zet in his homeland. During the conversation, he confirmed reports that the Barcelona hierarchy approached him toward the end of the 2022-23 campaign with a highly unusual request: to avoid triggering performance-related bonuses owed to his former club, Bayern Munich.

When Lewandowski arrived at the Camp Nou in July 2022 for a fee of €45 million, the club was already deep in a fiscal restructuring led by President Joan Laporta. While the striker helped secure Barcelona’s first La Liga title of the post-Lionel Messi era, his individual success came with a literal price tag.

Under the terms of his transfer, Barcelona was reportedly obligated to pay Bayern Munich significant add-ons once Lewandowski reached certain goal-scoring milestones.

"I was aware of the situation the club was in," Lewandowski admitted. "There were many situations where you had to sacrifice something personally for the good of the collective."

Lewandowski explained that while he respected the club's need to "save every euro," the request created a mental conflict during matches. Even for a seasoned professional, the knowledge that scoring could financially hurt his employer played a role in his decision-making on the field.

Despite these behind-the-scenes complications, Lewandowski's debut season was objectively stellar. He finished the 2022-23 La Liga campaign with 23 goals in 34 appearances, securing the Pichichi Trophy as the league's top scorer and leading the team to the title.