Why Barcelona Told Robert Lewandowski To Stop Scoring Under Xavi Hernandez
- Barcelona reportedly asked Robert Lewandowski to stop scoring goals at the end of his first season after joining from Bayern Munich
- He won the Golden Boot in that debut campaign and has since helped the club secure two La Liga titles
- The request came amid the Catalan giants' ongoing struggle with deep financial issues
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A surprising revelation has emerged from Spain, claiming that Barcelona once asked Robert Lewandowski to stop scoring goals during the final stages of his first season with the club.
The Polish striker, who joined Barça in the summer of 2022 after a legendary goal-scoring spell in Germany, had quickly become the focal point of Xavi Hernández’s attack.
Source: Getty Images
Arriving from Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, where he earned a reputation as one of world football’s deadliest forwards, Lewandowski was seen as the man to help restore Barcelona’s competitive edge following Lionel Messi’s emotional departure.
Lewandowski delivered immediately, scoring 23 goals in La Liga and guiding Barcelona to the 2022/2023 league title ahead of arch-rivals Real Madrid.
Why Barcelona asked Lewandowski to stop scoring
But according to a new biography titled "Lewandowski. Prawdziwy (Lewandowski. The Real One)" by author Sebastian Staszewski, Barcelona’s leadership made an astonishing request once the league trophy was mathematically secured.
With two games left in the season, senior executives reportedly approached Lewandowski in a private meeting and said:
“Robert, we need you to stop scoring goals in the last two matches.”
This unusual request had nothing to do with tactics or squad harmony. Instead, it stemmed from Barcelona’s ongoing financial struggles.
According to Marca, scoring 25 goals in La Liga would have activated a performance-related clause in the deal that brought him from Bayern Munich.
Hitting that number would have forced Barcelona to pay Bayern an additional $2.8 million, a sum the financially crippled club was desperate to avoid.
To prevent triggering the add-on, Lewandowski, who sat on 23 goals, was quietly urged to ease off.
Source: Getty Images
At that moment, Lewandowski was leading the Pichichi race, four goals ahead of Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.
With the league title already sealed, the Barcelona board concluded that additional goals would serve no competitive purpose but would cost the club money they could not comfortably spend.
Lewandowski did start both remaining matches against Mallorca and Celta Vigo but failed to score on either occasion. Barcelona won 3-0 against Mallorca but later lost to Celta Vigo.
The following season, Lewandowski netted 19 league goals, though the top scorer’s award went to Girona’s Artem Dovbyk with 24.
Last season, the Polish striker finished second in the scoring charts with 27 goals, behind Kylian Mbappé, who dominated La Liga with 31 goals in his debut campaign.
This season, Mbappé has already hit 13 goals in 12 matches, while Lewandowski sits on seven as Barcelona prepare to face Athletic Bilbao.
Lewandowski future at Barcelona uncertain
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Lewandowski is approaching a critical juncture in his career as uncertainty surrounds the Polish forward’s future at Camp Nou.
While Lewandowski’s preference is to remain at Barcelona, the club has yet to decide whether to offer an extension.
With lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia failing to entice him, and no guarantees from the club, retirement is now a possibility for the legendary goal-scorer.
Source: YEN.com.gh
