When the scoreboard raised the number 9 to signal the moment Robert Lewandowski left the field in the match against Real Betis, Barcelona players immediately rushed to hug the Polish striker. Even goalkeeper Joan Garcia ran nearly halfway to participate in that emotional moment, while the Camp Nou stands echoed with "Robert Lewandowski" shouts in the melody of the cartoon The Flintstones.
After 4 years with Barca, this is the final farewell. Lewandowski confirmed that he will leave the Catalan team when his contract expires in June, ending his journey with 119 goals and 7 titles.
The 37-year-old striker's next destination has not yet been determined. According to Spanish media, Lewandowski has received offers from MLS, Saudi Pro League and some European clubs. However, the match against Betis is not to talk about the future. That is the day for Barcelona to show gratitude to the player considered the starting factor for the club's revival.
Lewandowski tried to hold back his tears when leaving the field in the 85th minute of Barca's last home match this season. After the final whistle, emotions really exploded. His family went down to the field to celebrate, his teammates lined up to applaud in gratitude, and fans raised banners with the words "Robert, everything started from you".
After Barca officially won La Liga from the previous round, the match against Betis almost became "Robert Lewandowski's day". Throughout the area around the stadium, scarves, jerseys, Polish flags and souvenirs bearing the image of the Polish striker appeared, making Camp Nou bear the special color of Warsaw.
On the field, Lewandowski did not score when Barca beat Betis 3-1 thanks to Raphinha's double and Joao Cancelo's goal. The Polish striker only had one notable shot after a combination with Pedri but the ball went wide of the goal. However, that did not diminish the meaning of the match.
Coach Hansi Flick - who used to coach Lewandowski at Bayern Munich - affirmed that this is a perfect farewell. "You can see his heart belongs to this place, belongs to this club and the people here" - the Barcelona captain said.
In 4 years at Barcelona, Lewandowski scored 119 goals in 192 matches in all competitions. In La Liga, no player has contributed more goals than him since joining Barca, with 82 goals and 19 assists. Even in his last season, when he regularly rotated with Ferran Torres, Lewy still maintained an impressive scoring performance with 13 goals after 1,566 minutes of playing in La Liga.
When Barca recruited Lewandowski from Bayern Munich for a fee of 45 million Euros in the summer of 2022, many people were skeptical about the decision to grant a long-term contract to a 33-year-old player. However, the Polish striker quickly extinguished all doubts.
In the first months before the 2022 World Cup, he scored 18 goals in just his first 19 matches for Barca. Xavi Hernandez once called Lewandowski a great signing, not only because of the number of goals but also because of his leadership ability and raising the whole team.
Barca at that time believed that Lewandowski not only brought goals but also helped change the spirit of a young and inexperienced team. Indeed, he came to Camp Nou right in the most difficult period of the club in more than a decade.
Last season when Lewandowski arrived, Barca was 13 points behind Real Madrid in La Liga and was eliminated from the Champions League right from the group stage. Since then, the Catalan team has won three domestic championships in 4 years, three Spanish Super Cups and one Copa del Rey.
The Champions League is still a title missing, but Barca has made clear progress with two quarter-final appearances and one semi-final appearance in the last three seasons.
Of course, not everything is perfect for Lewandowski at Blaugrana. After the unsuccessful 2022-2023 season, information appeared that Xavi wanted to sell the Polish striker. However, Lewandowski still adapted and accepted the role of change when Lamine Yamal rose to become the team's new star.
Lewy combined with Yamal and Raphinha to create one of the most watchable attacks in Europe. Barcelona once wanted to extend Lewandowski's contract but he had to accept a salary reduction. However, the Polish striker clearly felt that his role had changed and decided to leave at the right time.
