Lewandowski: I feel like a kid in a toy store at Barcelona
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:46 CDT
- 3 min read
Robert Lewandowski has admitted he feels like a 'little kid in a toy store' after joining Barcelona this summer.
The Polish forward signed for Barcelona in a deal worth €50 million after demanding an exit from Bayern Munich following eight years at the club.
Lewandowski apologised to Bayern fans for the way he forced his move to Barcelona but insisted he had little choice after losing the motivation to play for the club.
"What I feel in Barcelona so far is pure happiness and motivation to start this new chapter," Lewandowski said. “I feel like a little kid walking into a big store full of new toys.
“In Munich I missed new challenges. I won many titles and I noticed that I felt less and less intensity. I needed another challenge, a boost. A change of environment.
“I always wanted to play La Liga, live in Spain, see what life is like here. For now, I only know the way to the stadium and to training.
"12 years in Germany is a long time. I conquered everything there. I didn't want to be in front of the mirror 12 years from now and ask: 'Why didn't you try'? There would be many unanswered questions.”
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Lewandowski cites Guardiola influence in Barca move
Lewandowski also spoke of the impact Pep Guardiola had on Bayern Munich during his time as manager and believes the Manchester City boss has a lot of similarities to Xavi at Barcelona.
"I didn't speak to [Pep] before signing but being with him at Bayern was like great preparation to arrive at Barça one day," Lewandowski said.
“Guardiola's philosophy, his style of looking after and managing the team, I think he basically 'brought' Barça to Bayern Munich.
"Xavi is a lot like Guardiola. Both were a number '6' and worked together. They think about football the same way. With that in mind, Barça was the only option for me.
Lewandowski: "My dad would have been very proud of me. He always told me in my childhood that he dares me to reach the highest level one day." pic.twitter.com/qLF442ayHW
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) August 8, 2022
Although Lewandowski completed his move to Barcelona in July, the 33-year-old cannot be registered until the Catalan side lower their wage bill.
Barca kick-off their La Liga season against Rayo Vallecano this weekend and have already begun the process of activating another 'lever' to ensure all their new signings can be registered before then.
