Are Barcelona deporting Robert Lewandowski to Saudi Arabia?
Robert Lewandowski's fall from grace is as dramatic as it is unstoppable. There has been speculation about his departure for weeks. Because he is expensive, because he hardly scores any more, because his time is running out. Will the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia now offer the fallen record-breaking striker a new home?
Do you remember Robert Lewandowski? That was the striker who enchanted the Bundesliga with his goals between 2010 and 2022, once scoring five goals in eight minutes and 59 seconds and breaking records that were considered untouchable.
With 41 goals in the 2020/2021 season, he snatched Gerd Müller's all-time record. But then he moved to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2022 amid much fanfare, impressed for a modest season and has been in a form crisis ever since, which could now force him out of Catalonia.
With just eight goals in 17 competitive games and an incredible 166 minutes between two goals, he has come under fire at Barça. In the previous year, this time span was still 120 minutes, in his last years at FC Bayern it was 80 (2021/2022), 71 (2020/2021) and 75 minutes (2019/2020). The former wonder striker has lost his touch and is seen in the media as a "symbol of the decay" of the former super club.
"Awkward, slow, clumsy and ponderous"
Yet he is still very well paid. He is blocking important funds for the club, which has been in dire straits for years. A new direction is not possible. The signs are pointing to a departure if someone can be found who will continue to pay Lewandowski very well, perhaps even outstandingly well. That someone should not stumble across the media reporting on the Spanish giant. Perhaps he would reconsider.
"Anyone watching Lewandowski for the first time will wonder how the hell someone so awkward, slow and clumsy can play for Spain's champions," writes Graham Hunter, the Spain correspondent for US broadcaster ESPN. In his destruction of the Bundesliga record-breaking striker, the descriptions "clumsy", "horrible first touch" and "poor attitude" are added. As you can see, Robert Lewandowski's time in Europe is coming to an end.
The shattered dream of being king of the world
His move to Barcelona was supposed to help him realize his lifelong dream. Once he wanted to win the Ballon d'Or, having been ridiculed for the fact that he could only be a world star in the Bundesliga. Once he wanted to be recognized as the best footballer in the world, always lacking the glamour of the top duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But the window is closed: the new heroes of the game are Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham. They are united by youth and the swag that the former Bundesliga king never had.
Lewandowski himself resists this, refusing to accept reality to some extent. "I have the feeling that I'm in the right place at the right time," he told Marca, adding: "I still have this feeling and this passion in me. I think I can play soccer for another three or four years because I feel very good physically."
What happens to world stars who have passed a certain age and still feel very good is clearer than ever this year. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has created a new home for them. After the exodus of the old stars in the summer of 2023, the popular sportswashers from the Arabian Peninsula wanted to hold back this winter, but they explicitly kept the superstar option open.
The PIF promises redemption
So it comes as no surprise that the first media reports are now coming out. Lewandowski's time as a serious footballer could come to an end this winter and he could slide into what could still be called life after the death of his career. That may change in the coming years, when the Saudi league focuses less on veteran stars and may even have bought into a made-up World League. All of this will happen after the current generation's careers come to an end. Until then, Saudi Arabia remains a retirement destination.
And there, the all-dominant Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) is now said to be interested in the 35-year-old Pole. The PIF owns the four top clubs in the Saudi Pro League: Al-Nassr with Cristiano Ronaldo, Al-Ittihad with Karim Benzema, Al-Hilal with Neymar and Al-Ahli with Roberto Firmino. One of these clubs could snap up Lewandowski and give the Polish national team captain's faltering career a new lease of life in the kingdom of the 2034 World Cup hosts. There are still records he can break there. The next few weeks will show whether the rumors are true or whether Lewandowski is just being chased away from Barcelona.
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- Amidst rumors of Transfers and rumors, there have been suggestions that FC Barcelona might be using sportswashing tactics to offload the underperforming Robert Lewandowski, with FC Bayern Munich's Saudi Arabia-backed rival clubs reportedly interested.
- The fact that Lewandowski is still heavily paid by Barcelona, despite his form crisis, has led to speculations about his potential move to a Saudi Arabian club, where top clubs like Al-Nassr, Al-Ittihad, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli are owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF).
- The PIF, which has already signed Cristiano Ronaldo to Al-Nassr, might be considering offering Lewandowski a new deal, as they look to bolster their soccer league with high-profile signings, hoping to turn Saudi Arabia into a retirement destination for aging soccer stars.
- Robert Lewandowski's goal-scoring form has significantly decreased since joining FC Barcelona, which has sparked controversy and sparked rumors of a move to Saudi Arabia. His disappointing performance at the Spanish club and his former team FC Bayern Munich's interest in his services have made headlines in Transfers and rumors around the soccer league.
Source: www.ntv.de
