Robert Lewandowski confirms bizarre Barcelona request – “It stuck in my head” | OneFootball

Robert Lewandowski has been a fantastic servant for Barcelona over the course of his three and a half seasons so far, with 109 goals in 165 appearances across all competitions. His record could have been even better, had senior club officials not asked to stop scoring at one stage.

In November, it was reported that Barcelona had asked Lewandowski not to score in La Liga during the final couple of matches. He had 23 goals at the time, and had he reached 25, it would have triggered a clause that would’ve meant Bayern Munich were owed €2.5m.

During an interview with Polish journalist Bogdan Rymanowski (via Marca), Lewandowski confirmed that this was asked of him, and he also gave his reaction to the rather bizarre request.

“There are things I don’t want to talk about. I respect Barcelona and the people who work there a lot. I was aware of the club’s situation. There were many other situations that needed to be resolved for the good of the club.

“In short, it was a bonus, and it is known that at that time Barcelona looked to save every euro. It was no small thing, and for me, nothing changed either. I have no problem with that, but it stuck in my head and I wondered whether to score a goal or not.”

Image via Eric Alonso/Getty Images

Request underlines Barcelona’s financial woes

Barcelona’s financial situation has improved over the last couple of years, but it shows how desperate they were that Lewandowski was asked not to score goals for the sake of €2.5m. Every little amount counts for the Catalans, who are still yet to make their return to La Liga’s 1:1 rule, and this small figure saved would have been a relief.

The plan is for Barcelona to continue improving their finances in the years to come, but doing so will be easier said than done.