Goodbye to Robert Lewandowski: Hansi Flick makes a decision and Joan Laporta accepts

The Polish striker from Barça, Robert Lewandowski, arrived from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022. Barça paid €50M for his transfer. For a decade, Lewandowski had become one of the best strikers in European soccer. His numbers with Bayern Munich prove it: the Pole played 375 official matches with the German team, scoring 340 goals.

Upon his arrival at Barça, some thought the forward was beginning to enter the twilight of his career, but nothing could be further from the truth. He signed for three seasons with an option for another depending on his performance. Lewandowski will complete his fourth season at the club with this one. After two good seasons under Xavi Hernández, it has been with Hansi Flick on the bench where he has had his best season at Barça.

In the last campaign, the Polish international forward, at 36 years old, ended up scoring 42 goals, a record within reach of very few. Lewandowski has rejected astronomical offers from Saudi soccer to continue in the blaugrana project. The Pole is fully committed to Barça even though he knows that this year he will play less due to the enormous competition in the attacking area.

Hansi Flick wants to manage Lewandowski's playing time

The relationship between the German coach and Barça's forward is excellent considering the many years they've worked together. Flick is aware of the importance of the Pole but is also aware of the player's advanced age. Flick wants to protect the forward and prevent him from suffering recurring injuries. For this campaign, he will manage his playing time much more.

With this decision, Ferran Torres, who was already a starter in Mallorca, may gain much more prominence in the starting eleven. Flick wants to make sure Lewandowski can be at 100% in decisive matches of the season. The German coach wants to avoid by all means the situation experienced last campaign when Lewandowski missed the Champions League semifinals.

Ferran Torres will take on a more relevant role

With Hansi Flick's decision, the beneficiary will be Ferran, who remains on target as he was throughout last season. Ferran Torres is determined to show that his numbers from last year were no coincidence and that he is fully prepared to be Barça's "9". Flick will also count on the help of the new signing, the British Marcus Rashford, who can play several positions in attack.

Lewandowski is aware that he can no longer play absolutely everything as he did in previous seasons. At 37 years old, he keeps his quality and goal-scoring instinct intact, but he has to manage his efforts on the field better. The competition is on, a fact that should benefit the team in all the sporting challenges of the season.