“I didn’t come to Barcelona to win it” – Robert Lewandowski debunks ‘lie’ about Ballon d’Or
Robert Lewandowski has denied moving to Barcelona purely to have a better chance of winning the Ballon d'Or.
Despite scoring bucketloads of goals for Bayern Munich (344 goals in 375 games) in nearly a decade, the Poland international has never claimed football's most prestigious individual honor. The striker would almost certainly have won the Ballon d'Or in 2020 when he helped lead Bayern to the Champions League.
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However, the trophy was not awarded that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Lewandowski finished runner-up a year later behind Lionel Messi. Many had speculated that the striker had only joined Barcelona so he would have a much better shot at winning the award.
But in an interview with La Vanguardia (per Barca Universal), the legendary forward denied that the individual trophy was his main priority. Lewandowski also claimed that he does not spend too much time thinking about the Ballon d'Or, as he explained:
“An award but it’s not something you think about every day. I didn’t come to Barcelona to win it, as some have said, is a lie. I don’t have the idea of the Ballon d’Or in my head, I have achieved everything I ever wanted and I have it in my heart.”
Lewandowski has enjoyed an excellent start to life at the Camp Nou, scoring 18 goals in his first 17 appearances. However, they will be playing Europa League football in the new year following their dismal performances in the Champions League. They are set to finish third in Group C behind Bayern and Inter Milan.
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Robert Lewandowski explains why he joined Barcelona after denying Ballon d'Or motivation
Every single winner of the Ballon d'Or since 2009 has either played for Real Madrid or Barcelona, but Lewandowski has revealed the real reason why he moved to Catalonia.
He claimed that he needed to leave his comfort zone after eight incredibly successful seasons at Bayern, as the striker stated:
“I’m in the right place even though I know the first season won’t be easy. But it was a huge challenge for me, sometimes you have to get out of your comfort zone and take on new challenges in life. I am happy because I am experiencing new things as a footballer and as a human being.”
He continued:
“I had a wish in my heart. When I was young, I watched Barcelona matches on TV and remember how they played and the players they had. They were great names and for a young man it is something that stays in your head forever.”
Lewandowski with the 93rd-minute winner.
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Lewandowski scored a stoppage-time winner for Barca against Valencia on October 29 to put the club just one point behind table-toppers Real Madrid.