Lewandowski celebrates after scoring for Barcelona against Deportivo Alaves at Olimpic Stadium, Barcelona, Spain, 2/2/2025. Photo: *Reuters*

Robert Lewandowski explains his goal-scoring formula simply: "Don't think, just do." He told The Times, "First, it's belief. I always believe the ball will find me. When it does, I have to beat my opponent, so I need to be faster, like a reflex. And third, I must be smarter, like autopilot. That's all I do."

This combination of speed, intelligence, and unwavering belief has established Lewandowski as one of the greatest strikers of the modern era. His statistics speak for themselves. Lewandowski has scored over 20 goals per season at the club level for 14 consecutive seasons, exceeding 40 goals in eight of those. Without Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, "Lewy" might have dominated the past two decades, leading the Champions League and major European leagues in goals.

According to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics' all-time list, the Polish striker ranks seventh with 675 career goals, trailing only Ronaldo, Messi, Pele, Romario, Ferenc Puskas, and Josef Bican. In 2015, while playing for Bayern Munich, he famously scored five goals in nine minutes.

Lewandowski (left) as a child wearing a Newcastle shirt. Photo: *The Times*

At 37, and in the final year of his contract with Barcelona, Lewandowski is embarking on his 23rd year as a professional and his 15th Champions League season. On September 18, Barca will travel to St James’ Park to face Newcastle, a club that holds a special place in his childhood memories. "As a kid, I remember having a Newcastle shirt with Shearer's number 9," he said. "It was a gift from my family, and I wore it a lot because Shearer was at his peak." He raised his hand and smiled. "Of course, I also copied his celebration, very unique."

Barcelona, a Champions League contender, was eliminated by Inter Milan in last season's semi-finals. Lewandowski believes they will be wiser this season and contends that had they reached the final, they could have beaten PSG. "I think if we'd made the final, we had a big chance to win the Champions League," he shared. "But that's football. You can miss the last step."

Lewandowski doesn't consider the big-spending Premier League teams like Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, or Chelsea the biggest threats. "They are also in the group of candidates, but don't forget Real Madrid, Barca, PSG... In the Premier League, they spend a lot of money. You see players bought for huge sums despite not having had a single good season. An English club might readily pay 70 or 80 million USD for a young player who scored about 10 goals in six months. Whereas in the past, to command that price, a player had to achieve something significant. No one knows if that money will bring the expected quality."

Lewandowski twice considered moving to England. In 2010, he met with Sam Allardyce, then manager of Blackburn Rovers, and planned to visit their training facility, though he admitted it was exploratory and ultimately chose Borussia Dortmund. A real opportunity arose in 2012 when Sir Alex Ferguson called, inviting him to join Manchester United, just weeks before they signed Robin van Persie from Arsenal.

"I remember it was halftime during a Dortmund pre-season friendly," Lewandowski recalled. "I got a call from Ferguson and called him back. When Sir Alex started speaking, his voice confused me because it was hard to hear. I had to concentrate really hard to understand. I just kept answering, like 'yes, of course, of course,' pretending to understand everything, but actually understanding nothing. I said yes and was very close to joining Man Utd. But Dortmund said they couldn't sell me. It wasn't the right time."

Had fate brought them together, Ferguson would have joined the list of prominent managers Lewandowski has played under, including Jurgen Klopp (Dortmund), Pep Guardiola, Carlo Ancelotti, Hansi Flick, and Julian Nagelsmann (all at Bayern). At Barca, he's been managed by Xavi and now Flick again. In a notebook, Lewandowski records each manager's qualities, combining them into a "dream manager." Guardiola for tactics, Flick for man-management, Klopp for inspirational speeches, and Ancelotti for big games. Only when choosing the best-dressed did he hesitate, ultimately selecting Nagelsmann.

Lewandowski's notes on his "dream manager". Photo: *The Times*

After four successful years at Dortmund, Lewandowski spent eight years at Bayern, scoring 238 goals in 253 Bundesliga matches. At Barca, despite debates about his age and pressing ability, he remains a key attacking figure. Last weekend, coming off the bench, the 37-year-old scored twice against Valencia, showing the younger starter, Ferran Torres, what a number 9 should do.

Lewandowski also mentors Barca's young talents, including Pedri (22), Gavi (21), Alejandro Balde (21), Marc Casado (21), Pau Cubarsi (18), and, of course, Lamine Yamal (18), a leading Ballon d'Or 2025 contender. "I saw the makings of a world-class player from the first training session, when Lamine was just 15," Lewandowski recalled. "It was the end of the season, and some players were on trial. He was up against an experienced left-back and did whatever he wanted. I've seen many good players, but they need time. With Lamine, I saw time couldn't catch up. I've never seen such talent at that age."

However, Lewandowski acknowledges the generation gap. Joining Camp Nou in 2022 after Lionel Messi's departure, he admits integrating with younger players is a challenge. "I come from a different generation and have to learn how, not to think like a teenager, but how to get the most out of what they have," he confided. "I've been involved in football for four decades, so when I compare them not only to my generation but also to the previous one – when I started, things were completely different."

"Shouting used to be a way to motivate people. Now, if you shout too much, this generation doesn't react the same way. It's not like 'now I'll prove you wrong.' No, now you have to explain it differently. You have to talk more. They don't like being shouted at. Now you have to pay more attention to the psychological aspect. Not only with players but with this generation as a whole. I don't want to go against that flow and have to learn to adapt."

This adaptability prevents Lewandowski from being ego-driven, though he believes today's veteran stars, like Messi (38), Ronaldo (40), Luka Modric (40), Mohamed Salah (33), Kevin De Bruyne (34), and himself, will be the last to excel past 30.

Asked about advice for Yamal, Lewandowski said: "The big challenge for him is not next year or the year after, but three years or even longer, to keep his mind hungry. It's not Lamine's fault, because that's how the world works today. But for him, maintaining the feeling of playing in the garden, amidst the pressure of expectations and social media attention, can be difficult. There are too many matches now, with too much intensity. No one at this age in 10 or 15 years will be able to maintain the feeling Lamine has. Just a 5% drop in form in the next five years, and he will struggle. I have doubts if a player can maintain peak form for 20 years after starting like that at 16."

Lewandowski prioritizes career longevity. Since his early twenties, he's been obsessed with diet and training, famously eating dinner in reverse, starting with dessert. "I changed my lifestyle at 21 because I believed I could play four or five years longer than other players," he revealed.

He meticulously monitors his body and recovery. Lewandowski explains a recent "nerve" injury in his leg, attributing it to "too much travel for matches, on buses" during Barca's pre-season tour, combined with an uncomfortable bed in South Korea that prevented him from "sleeping deeply for two hours," leading to "muscle fatigue."

Lewandowski celebrates with Lamine Yamal during the Barca vs. Athletic Bilbao match at Olimpic Stadium, Barcelona, Spain, 24/8/2024. Photo: *Reuters*

Growing up in a sporty Polish family helped Lewandowski understand career longevity. His father was a Polish judo champion, his mother an accomplished volleyball player, both physical education teachers. "Lewy" tried everything from table tennis and handball to basketball, but loved judo and gymnastics. "My father believed that playing many sports would help me adapt better in the future," he said. "My body was very flexible and still is, thanks to judo and gymnastics. I think that's why I have a longer career than many players."

Lewandowski's father, Krzysztof, passed away when he was 16, before he joined his first professional football club. "At 16, you're never ready for that loss. I was a closed-off kid, didn't trust anyone, didn't think I could share what I saw and felt with anyone. I had to overcome it myself," he recounted.

A conversation with Klopp, then his manager at Dortmund, changed everything. "I felt held back. After an hour-and-a-half conversation, I felt like everything inside me was released. Negative emotions poured out. I trained well but always lacked something in matches, like being stuck. I didn't know why, but after talking to Jurgen, I started to open up. And I started scoring, a lot of goals."

Lewandowski has won every club-level trophy imaginable: 12 league titles, a Champions League, a Club World Cup, numerous domestic cups, including a treble with Bayern, yet he's always been overshadowed by Ronaldo and Messi. A tennis fan, he's friends with Novak Djokovic, who also competed in the era of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. "We are friends, we meet occasionally. Novak is funny, and we stay in touch," Lewandowski said. "Even at 38, he's still playing at the highest level and works very hard to achieve that. I was in the era of Ronaldo and Messi, and you could say that without them in the last 15 years, I might have won more individual awards. But I see it differently, and I think Novak does too. Playing alongside Messi and Ronaldo helped me achieve more."

Lewandowski won FIFA's Best Men's Player award in 2020 and 2021 but never the Ballon d'Or. The 2020 vote was canceled due to the pandemic, the same year he scored 55 goals in 47 games as Bayern won the treble under Flick. "I have won everything in my life except the Ballon d'Or," he said. "I believed I could win it, but I can't change it. I don't feel I would be a different player or person if I had that award. There are many things surrounding football, sometimes politics, and I understand how it works. I'm not saying I don't want the Ballon d'Or anymore, I'm not that person, but I don't dream and obsess over it. I don't lose sleep over the Ballon d'Or."

Lewandowski could be a contender again if Barca wins the Champions League this season. If Poland qualifies for North America in the summer of 2026, it will likely be his final World Cup. While some doubt he'll stay at Barca beyond this season, Lewandowski insists he has "two or three years at the top level." "I feel very strong," he affirmed. "If you look at the physical tests in training, I'm still at the same level as before. Many people mistakenly think that at 37, I'm declining. But I know I can still be at the top, and physically, I don't feel like I'm chasing young players. On the contrary, they have to chase me."

Hoang Thong (*from The Times*)