The biography "Lewandowski. Prawdziwy" ("Lewandowski. The Real Deal"), written by Sebastian Staszewski, has uncovered one of the most surprising and controversial episodes of FC Barcelona's recent era. According to the author, Robert Lewandowski was the protagonist of an unusual scene when the Blaugrana club, already champions of LaLiga 2022-23, explicitly asked him to stop scoring goals in the final two rounds of the championship.

Robert, we need you to stop scoring goals

Joan Laporta

At that time, Xavi's Barcelona had already mathematically secured the title, while Lewandowski was the absolute leader of the scoring charts with 23 goals. It was in this context that, according to the book, the Polish striker met with members of the board - including Joan Laporta - and heard a phrase he had never heard before in his career: "Robert, we need you to stop scoring goals in the last two games". The striker's surprise was immediate.

The economic reason behind Barcelona's decision

The request, Staszewski explains, had a purely economic background: the club had to pay a bonus of 2.5 million euros to Bayern Munich if Lewandowski reached 25 goals in LaLiga. With the title already secured, and with Barcelona's financial situation in a delicate state, the board would have preferred to avoid that extra payment, even if it meant asking their star striker to curb his goalscoring performance.

Finally, Lewandowski played the remaining two games of the season, both in full, and did not score in either. Even so, the Pole was crowned as the competition's top scorer, surpassing Karim Benzema and reaffirming his immediate impact on Spanish football since his arrival.

One more detail from the book that exposes the Blaugrana economic crisis

The book also recounts another episode that highlights the club's complex financial situation. On a team trip, Lewandowski noticed that the menu offered little variety of meat and fish, something that did not go unnoticed by a footballer of his level and strict eating habits. When he asked the chef, the answer was as direct as it was revealing: "We have to save money".

This detail, although minor in appearance, reinforces the narrative that Barcelona was (and still is) going through a period of severe economic constraints, affecting even basic aspects of the team's logistics.

A chapter that promises to generate debate in the Barcelona environment

The revelations in Staszewski's book reopen the debate about the internal decisions made by the club at a time of extreme financial fragility.

Asking a goalscorer of Lewandowski's calibre to stop scoring for financial reasons is an episode that will undoubtedly be much talked about both in Spain and in the international football environment.