Lewandowski reveals what surprised him most about Barcelona debut
FT Desk
- 15 Aug 2022 17:40 BST
- 3 min read
Robert Lewandowski made his long-awaited debut for Barcelona against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, but one thing in particular has surprised the former Bayern Munich man about his new employers.
Having spent the previous eight seasons with Bayern, scoring 344 goals in 375 games along the way, Lewandowski could be forgiven for experiencing some culture shock after swapping Germany for the Spanish sun in a €50 million deal last month.
Xavi's Barcelona play in a 4-3-3; Lewy was almost always at the tip of the attack in Bayern's 4-2-3-1. The Pole scored a goal every 80 minutes he players last season, he went 90 in a goalless draw with Rayo at the weekend. But none of that is what left Lewandowski surprised.
Lewandowski's Barcelona debut did not go as planned 😔 pic.twitter.com/fFrS4X39qM
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) August 14, 2022
Lewy fatigue
"I'm more tired than I expected!" he told Polish media, with a smile which has hardly left his face since he was granted his wish to move to La Liga.
Barca have a reputation for moulding football players instead of athletes, the same academy at La Masia that produced Lionel Messi more concerned with ball control than NFL Combine stats.
That Lewandowski has found it hard going is even more surprising considering he is an avid fitness practitioner, one who trains with his dietician and former karateka wife Anna, and who was previously nicknamed "Robert the Body" by his teammates at Borussia Dortmund.
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Barca's made Rayo run hard on Saturday, ending the game with nearly 70 per cent of possession and having 15 shots on target to their opponents' four, but Lewandowski was restricted to just a single shot on target.
The 33-year-old will next have the chance to open his Barca account on Sunday, when they travel to San Sebastian to take on Real Sociedad.
The Blaugrana then take on former coach Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in a friendly at Camp Nou three days later.
