According to his agent, Pini Zahavi, a Saudi Arabian club made a lucrative offer to Lewandowski in the summer of 2024. However, driven by his pursuit of titles and personal life considerations, the 36-year-old striker chose to remain at Camp Nou.

"They offered a salary of over 100 million USD per season. Let me emphasize, per season," Zahavi told Polish newspaper Fakt on 13/8. "But he wanted to stay to conquer La Liga and the Champions League. Ultimately, he almost achieved that goal. Barca is also where he feels most comfortable."

Lewandowski celebrates during Barca's 5-0 friendly win over Daegu in South Korea on 4/8. Photo: EFE

Lewandowski celebrates during Barca's 5-0 friendly win over Daegu in South Korea on 4/8. Photo: EFE

Last season, Lewandowski scored 42 goals in 52 matches, maintaining his position as Barca's top scorer. He also helped the club win La Liga, the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, and reach the Champions League semi-finals.

Lewandowski currently earns 30 million USD per season at Barca. However, with a 47% tax rate on earnings above 350,000 USD in Spain, the 36-year-old striker only receives 15.9 million USD.

Saudi Arabia does not have personal income tax. Therefore, had he accepted the offer last summer, Lewandowski could have earned over 100 million USD per season, significantly more than his current earnings at Barca.

Lewandowski joined Barca in 2022. In his first two seasons, he scored 33 and 26 goals, winning La Liga and the 2023 Spanish Super Cup. Previously, Lewandowski scored 344 goals for Bayern Munich and 103 goals for Dortmund, winning the 2020 Champions League and 10 Bundesliga titles.

Unlike Lewandowski, his teammate Inigo Martinez recently heeded the call from Saudi Arabia, terminating his contract with one season remaining and a pre-tax salary of 16 million USD at Barca, to sign a long-term deal with Al Nassr. Media reports indicate that the 34-year-old center-back's salary at his new club could be double or triple his previous earnings.

"I only had one season left on my contract and I'm 34 years old. Moreover, offers like these rarely come along and are hard to refuse," Martinez explained his unexpected move to Al Nassr. "When you see offers like these, you can't believe it, or at least I couldn't."

Cristiano Ronaldo, another Al Nassr player, is the highest-paid footballer in the world, earning 235 million USD per season. CR7 also owns shares in the club.

Thanh Quy (Fakt, Marca)