“I wanted to score a goal, but something inside was not helping” – Lewandowski admits he was ‘not happy’ to return to Allianz Arena as Barcelona striker and makes ‘hardest game’ of his life claim
Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski was 'not happy' upon his return to the Allianz Arena to face former side Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
The Blaugrana made the trip to Munich for their second match of the ongoing UCL season but were condemned to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Bundesliga giants.
Lewandowski, who switched from Bayern to Barcelona this summer, returned to his former club just a couple of months after his transfer. The €45 million transfer went through after the Poland international made it clear that he wished to move on.
Robert Lewandowski talks about last week's game against Bayern: "Honestly, I was not happy to return and play at the Allianz Arena so quickly. In terms of emotions, it was a game not like any other, it had a much wider dimension than just football" [@przeglad] https://t.co/NhNOZNFLCT
But he was not happy about returning to the Allianz Arena 'so quickly'.
"Honestly, I was not happy to return and play at the Allianz Arena so quickly. In terms of emotions, it was a game not like any other, it had a much wider dimension than just football," Lewandowski told Polish outlet Przeglad Sportowy.
He added:
"I spent 8 years in Munich, scored several hundreds of goals, won everything possible, and suddenly had to play against my teammates and friends. I am only human, it is impossible to brush that off, I wanted to, but question marks appeared in my head."
The Polish striker, who scored 344 goals for Bayern Munich across competitions and grew into a club legend, admitted that it was the 'hardest game' of his life.
"Emotionally, it was the hardest game in my life. Emotions were buzzing inside me, I wanted to score a goal, but something inside was not helping. It's impossible to forget eight years in a few weeks, but that's behind me."
"The Bayern game is a lesson for us" - Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski
Barcelona hitman Robert Lewandowski further analyzed their 2-0 defeat to Bayern, claiming the Blaugrana should have won that game, 'or at least drawn' the match.
Lewandowski: "Before the match, we did not expect to be able to impose our style and create many chances. This match showed that we can do that and create chances in difficult matches. It is true that we made mistakes but I repeat that this match showed that we can offer a lot."
"We should not be losing that game. We should have won or at least drawn. If it ended 4-2 or 5-2 for us, no one would have taken it as a sensation. The Bayern game is a lesson for us."
He added:
"Before the match, we did not expect to be able to impose our style and create many chances. This match showed that we can do that and create chances in difficult matches. It is true that we made mistakes but I repeat that this match showed that we can offer a lot."
Lewandowski has already scored 11 goals for Barcelona in eight appearances across competitions so far.