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Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona: Everything You Need to Know

Last Updated: July 18, 2022
The Poland international striker and one of the top scorers in the sport departs German champions Bayern Munich for La Liga to anchor Xavi’s front line at the Camp Nou.

Despite battling a debt crisis featuring a liabilities that have hovered around as much as $1 billion, FC Barcelona have managed to claim one of finest goal-scorers in world football in completing the signing of superstar striker Robert Lewandowski. After 375 appearances and 344 goals for German titans Bayern Munich, the Poland international striker now moves on to his preferred destination after a drama-filled departure process whose drama felt at times like reality television.

Lewandowski clarified that he wanted out after spending eight seasons with Bayern, leveraging numerous media outlets to push for a transfer out of town. Ahead of turning 34 years old next month, he noted his urge to tackle a new challenge during the latter stages of his decorated career.

He now joins Brazillian winger Raphinha and three other Barcelona signings this summer, following Pablo Torre, Franck Kessie, and Andreas Christensen.

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Barcelona agreed on the transfer of Lewandowski for a fee of $45.6 million (€45 million), plus $5.04 million in expected add-ons. Just three years ago, Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge told media members that the club would never sell Lewandowski, even if they received a fee of $158.88 million.

We’ve already tackled the explanation of the financial turmoil that the club is facing while unveiling everything you need to know about Raphinha to Barcelona. Now, we’ll dig into Lewandowski and how the club will highlight him in a jumble of attacking options.

Robert Lewandowski Transfer & Contract Details

Transfer fees and contract length were first reported by Fabrizio Romano and confirmed by ESPN. Wage figures reported by AS.

Contract length: 3 years
Estimated weekly wages: $175,500 (€173,000)
Estimated annual wages: $9,070,000 (€9,000,000)
Free agency: 2025

Base transfer fee: $45,600,000 (€45,000,000)
Maximum transfer fee: $50,700,000 (€50,000,000)

Estimated market value: $49,500,000 (via Transfermarkt)

A Cabinet Full of Trophies

Lewandowski’s trophy list is longer than 100 CVS receipts. He’s an 18-time top scorer combined in all flights of Germany’s Bundesliga., 12-time footballer of the year for Poland, 2-time golden boot winner, and the owner of the most prestigious individual award in football; the 2021 Ballon d’Or Striker of the Year. Individually, Lewandowski has over 60 personal awards in his cabinet. Let’s look at what he’s accomplished on a team level.

Lewandowski’s Club Honors
  • Ekstraklasa champion (2010)
  • 10x Bundesliga champion (2011, ’12, ’15, ’16, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20, ’21, ’22)
  • 4x DFB-Pokal winner (2012, ’16, ’19, ’20)
  • 6x DFL-Supercup winner (2013, ’16, ’17, ’18, ’20, ’21)
  • UEFA Champions League winner (2020)
  • FIFA Club World Cup winner (2020)
  • UEFA Super Cup winner (2020)
Lewandowski’s Individual Awards
  • 10x Polish Footballer of the Year (2011, ’12, ’13, ’14, ’15, ’16, ’17, ’19, ’20, ’21)
  • 4x UEFA Champions League Squad of the Season (2016, ’17, ’20, ’21)
  • 2x Bundesliga Player of the Season (2017, ’20)
  • 2x UEFA Team of the Year (2019, ’20)
  • Bayern Munich Player of the Season (2020)
  • UEFA Men’s Player of the Year (2020)
  • UEFA Champions League Top Goalscorer (2020)
  • FIFA Club World Cup Golden Ball (2020)
  • 2x Footballer of the Year in Germany (2020, ’21)
  • Ballon d’Or Striker of the Year (2021)
  • 2x European Golden Shoe (2021, ’22)

How Robert Lewandowski Fits in at Barcelona

When it comes to a consummate all-around No. 9 center forward like Lewandowski, the formula is straightforward: service him the ball and he’s going to score. With 540 career goals across all competitions to date, Barcelona won’t have to make things complicated in engineering ways for the longtime Poland international to scorch the ball into the net early and often.

The only problem Barça may face in the attack is having too many options in a sport that still only features one ball. It will be up to Xavi to flex his managerial might in determining the perfect formation necessary to service seven or more top-class attacking options across league play, cup competitions, and the UEFA Champions League.

The 2022-23 edition of the team features several key newcomers, perhaps most notably Raphinha and Torres outside of the great Lewa. In ther previous transfer window, the Catalan club brought in former Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has proven that he can still knock in goals at a high level, and the club still counts among its ranks Memphis Depay, thought the Dutch international could be on his way out of the door amid reported interest from Tottenham Hotspur and other top European clubs.

The team also managed to re-sign Ousmane Dembele after a strenuous stretch of failed contract negotiations. On top of that, the club signed young prodigy Ansu Fati to a long-term deal until 2027 — featuring a release clause of €1 billion! — handing Xavi an intriguing task in deciding just how to hammer out his starting XI game by game.

Despite so much talent up front and on the wings, Lewandowski is still the most proven goal scorer by an impressive margin, virtually guaranteeing his place as a regular starter at center forward. And if he can perform at the level he showcased in the Bundesliga for years at Bayern and Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona will be a serious player for the La Liga title, an honor they haven’t secured since 2019 when Lionel Messi still roamed.

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Rory Robinson