The departure of Robert Lewandowski leaves Bayern Munich with the unenviable task of finding a replacement for the Bundesliga’s most prolific contemporary striker after his relationship with the club turned sour.
Following eight glorious years in Munich, winning the Bundesliga each season and lifting the Champions League trophy in 2020, Lewandowski announced in late May that “my story with Bayern comes to an end”.
The forward turns 34 in August, yet Lewandowski is showing no signs of slowing down and now embarks on a fresh challenge to make as much impact on Spain’s La Liga as he did in the Bundesliga.
He scored 35 times last season in Germany’s top flight, after breaking the single-season scoring record in the previous campaign with 41 Bundesliga goals, snatching the record from Gerd Mueller, who held it for 49 years.
The Polish striker quits Germany’s top flight having scored 312 goals in 383 Bundesliga games for Bayern and former club Dortmund. Only Mueller, who scored 365 goals for Bayern in 427 Bundesliga games during the 1960s and 1970s, netted more. But since Lewandowski won FIFA’s best male player award for the second year running in January, his relationship with Bayern has progressively unraveled.
With Lewandowski’s contract expiring in 2023, Bayern sports director Hasan Salihamidzic insisted at the start of the year that the star striker was central to the club’s plans. Yet when a Sky reporter relayed the message in a post-match interview in February, Lewandowski dropped the first hint that communications had broken down. “I’m hearing that for the first time,” he said.
As reports emerged that Barcelona was eager to fulfil the striker’s wish of playing at the Camp Nou, Salihamidzic and Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn could only insist Lewandowski would be held to his contract. He finished last season banging in goals for Bayern, earning the trophy as the Bundesliga’s top-scorer for the fifth straight year.
Despite winning a 10th straight Bundesliga title last season, there was a lingering air of disappointment after Bayern’s shock Champions League exit to Villarreal in the quarterfinals. A defeat in Spain and draw at home showed how far Bayern currently is from the summit of European soccer, fueling Lewandowski’s desire to leave.
As tensions simmered between the player and club, head coach Julian Nagelsmann admitted he wanted the matter resolved to plan for next season. Lewandowski’s teammate Leon Goretzka said it was important to “find a good solution for everyone involved.” Yet the prolific poacher will not be easy to replace.
His 55 goals in all competitions in 2019-20 were key to Bayern winning the treble, as Lewandowski became the first player to be top-scorer in the Champions League, Bundesliga and German Cup competitions in a single season.
He has made a career out of stunning goal-scoring feats.
In 2015, he needed just under nine electrifying minutes off the bench to score five goals, leading the charge as Bayern roared back from a goal down against Wolfsburg to dish out a 5-1 thrashing. Two years earlier, Lewandowski scored four goals for Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the 2013 Champions League semifinals against Real Madrid, helping his former club into the final, where it was beaten by Bayern at Wembley.
Lewandowski was spotted as a raw 21-year-old playing for Polish club Lech Poznan, where he scored 41 goals in 82 games, and joined Dortmund in 2010. He made his breakthrough under Juergen Klopp, helping Dortmund win back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Lewandowski put himself firmly on Bayern’s radar with a hat-trick against them in the prestigious surroundings of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium as Dortmund romped to a 5-2 win in the 2012 German Cup final. Two years later, Bayern signed him on a free transfer and, thanks largely to his ruthlessness in front of goal, the Bavarian giants have since dominated the Bundesliga.
His depature to Spain is perhaps the biggest threat to Bayern’s monopoly of Gefmany’s top flight with the hunt for a new star striker potentially now on.
ryj/sea/nr
© Agence France-Presse
Admittedly I don’t follow club soccer much. But my first thought is how can Barca afford him? What they need is a young Lewandowski or a young Messi. Not someone at the peak of their high salary years. Is this an attempt to placate fans angry with the board?
For that matter Messi came from their academy. Pep came from their academy. Has Barca lost interest in developing players?
If you and I can see it, Why can’t FARÇA.???… Dembele, Lewandowski, are Not what I Consider “Positional Play” Type Players… I see A LOT of Discord coming in the Squad… The Smaller “Local” players and the Expensive, Big Name, Athletic “Foreigners”…
One Group trying to “Slow it Down” Side-To-Side and the others wanting Quicker, More Direct Play.
Xavi could be Out of a Job this Year … What a Shame to Bring him in, and then Not give him the Kind of Players he needs to Succeed…
Good for us Real Madrid fans, Hala Madrid.!!!
The one thing I hate about Lewandowski’s story (impressive as it is) that when he was playing for Dortmund, and helping Dortmund beat Bayern, Bayern was just able to buy him and snuff out that challenge to their dominance. Bayern winning the Bundesliga for the last 10 years is not good for soccer…
I give Xavi more credit that you, Santi. La Liga FFP aside, they have the pieces to do better this year. CL quarters at least, I’d say. Ancelotti might have the harder job rebuilding. Benzema is 34, Modric is 36, Kroos is 32, Marcelo and Isco are gone. Maybe if no one gets injured this year Madrid will be OK, but their backups are a big step down. And Athleti looks improved this transfer window. Should be a competitive season!
R2 Dad, I think you define success differently than I do. I don’t believe for a minute that Xavi was hired to coach a turbo team.
Could this be a deliberate move by someone in the front office to sabotage Xavi? They can’t have much budget left for Xavi to aquire more players. Then the front office didn’t forward the paperwork needed to get Xavi a visa so that he could coach the players on their summer US tour.
What is the next challenge Xavi will face? The saying is once is chance, twice is coincidence, the third time is hostile action.
R2… I’ll agree with Bob on this…. I don’t call it Farça for Nothing.!!!… Couldn’t get the Coach a Visa…. Hahaha…
Now “They” are going to try and “Marry” Tiki-Taka and Turbo… Something Pep has been Trying to do since he Left BarcaWe shall See… I don’t think you can do it at Barca….
Too many “Mighty Midgets from La Masis”… The clash of Cultures will Unravel this Project….
Best chance to see Tiki-Turbo is ManCity and USMNT
Dortmund “Make/Sell” so many Players…
I wonder why they can’t use some of that Money to Keep a “Steady” Roster that would; Get them back to the Top.??.
Is it Investors, Strictly looking for ROI.???… Or poor Money Mgmt on the Internal side.??.
Interesting Question.???
Santi, they bought Haller this summer–he couldn’t have been cheap. Selling Haaland gave them funds but also pressure to replace with someone not 19 from Austria. Dortmund’s relatively recent history of irresponsible spending (15 years ago) hangs over current discussion topics. BVB will be happy qualifying for CL but can’t challenge for the league title–that’s got to come from RBL.
It is scandalous that Barca is somehow the most dominant club for so many of the biggest names this transfer window – there is no way they are doing this without complete disregard or intentional evasion of FFP.
Important to understand it’s not just the crazy activity in the transfer market, but the salaries of the players they are retaining and adding must be ridiculous no matter what slight reductions the players themselves may have agreed to just to ‘be part of the project.’ They also have several of the most promising young talents in the world they have already and are working to complete extension on – with nearly everyone coming with some joke of 1 BILLION DOLLAR release clause.
With Zorc moving on I think there is a sense that BVB is closing the chapter on the “rescue the club from poor money management in the past” chapter.
They have very recently told 4-5 of the guys originally meant to be the “steady roster” full professionals they are available for sale, I.e. you aren’t in future plans: Hazard, Brandt, Can, Schultz and Akanji. Moved on Delaney last window, encouraged Witsel to leave on a free this window. Definitely a serious transition period.
La Liga has their own FFP regs, more strict than UEFA’s. More info: https://barcauniversal.com/understanding-la-ligas-financial-fair-play-rules-and-barcelonas-transfer-struggles/
Erm….so is Sadio Mane chopped liver? He’s played on the wings as well as a 9. Isn’t that the plan?