Thomas Muller: Lewandowski made a mistake leaving Bayern
Thomas Muller has claimed Robert Lewandowski made a mistake leaving Bayern Munich for Barcelona as the striker prepares to face off against his old side.
Lewandowski forced an exit to Barca this summer for €45 million in search of a new challenge after eight seasons in Munich.
The Polish forward formed a dynamic partnership over the years with Muller and the two will now come up against each other in the Champions League group stage.
Speaking before the game, Muller admitted Bayern may miss Lewandowski at times but insisted that the Bundesliga outfit have also benefitted from his departure.
Muller said: “We lost his qualities, but all players have different qualities. So we lost his qualities but we also gained new qualities. Everything changes a little.
“Of course we will have situations on the pitch in which the fan says ‘Oh, now we need Lewandowski back’. But I am sure that we have also had other situations in which they have thought ‘Oh, it also suits us without Lewandowski’. So it is the type of game you can play at the end of every match.
“Lewandowski is a great player, a great person and I only hope that we can show him tomorrow that it was a mistake to leave.”
Lewandowski’s homecoming
Lewandowski has started his Barcelona career in the same fashion as he displayed in Germany, shooting to the top of the La Liga scoring charts having netted six goals in his first five games.
Barca have won four of their games so far, only missing out on top spot in La Liga due to Real Madrid’s 100% start to the season.
Sadio Mane has been reminding Thomas Muller not to pass to Robert Lewandowski when he returns to the Allianz Arena tonight 😂#UCL pic.twitter.com/4WfJUDqF0B
— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) September 13, 2022
Bayern, meanwhile, signed Liverpool forward Sadio Mane as a replacement and the Senegalese international has scored three times so far for his new side.
The Bavarians are unbeaten in their opening six Bundesliga games but they have drawn three, leaving them in third position, two points behind leaders Union Berlin.
The two sides will meet in Germany in the second game of Group C, having both won their opening games.