Spanish giants Barcelona reportedly asked star striker Robert Lewandowski to “stop scoring goals” at the end of his first season with the club - and for a remarkable reason. Plying his trade under Xavi at the time, the Poland international had signed from Bayern Munich for £44 million, where he had produced an astonishing record of 344 goals in 375 appearances.
From the outside looking in, his move to Catalonia should have meant more of the same, with Lewandowski taking the role of a goalscorer to astronomical levels throughout his career. Goals are his lifeblood, and the more he scores, the less the defence at the other end has to worry as Barcelona look to fight for La Liga and Champions League titles.
But a newly published biography has thrown the Blaugrana back under the microscope, revealing an extraordinary episode that took place behind the scenes during the closing stretch of the 2022/23 La Liga season - one that put the very meaning of the word “striker” into disrepute.
Barca Hierarchy Urged Lewandowski to Stop Scoring in 22/23 Season
Lewandowski in Barca kit
In "Lewandowski. Prawdziwy" ("Lewandowski. The Real One”), author Sebastian Staszewski alleges that Barcelona urged Lewandowski to stop scoring goals, as per GOAL. With two matches still to play and Barcelona already crowned league champions under then-manager Xavi Hernandez, the meeting reportedly took a strange turn.
According to Staszewski, Lewandowski was summoned for discussions with several high-ranking executives shortly after Barcelona mathematically sealed the title. At that moment, he led the league’s scoring chart with 23 goals, comfortably ahead of the competition. "Robert, we need you to stop scoring goals in the last two matches," a board member strangely requested.
Robert Lewandowski celebrating for Barcelona
The Polish striker was stunned to hear that unusual encouragement. In his decades-long career, no club had ever asked him to hold back. But the reasoning was not tactical - it was financial. Barcelona, who are still wrestling with significant financial constraints even now, had a clause to consider.
If Lewandowski reached 25 league goals, they would owe Bayern Munich an additional £2.2 million in performance-related add-ons from his transfer. With the league title wrapped up and budgets stretched thin, the club allegedly opted for the unorthodox - and ethically questionable - approach of trying to protect their balance sheet.
Lewandowski played both remaining matches in full but did not score in either. He still won the Pichichi Trophy, La Liga’s top scorer award, finishing above Karim Benzema. And since, he has been afforded all the freedom in the world to continue finding the back of the net, with his tally at Barcelona now standing at 108 goals in 159 appearances as he keeps his place among the best strikers in the world.