“Don’t score anymore!” – Barca’s secret scandal with Lewandowski

An unusual episode comes to light in Staszewski’s new book, which includes previously unpublished accounts from Robert Lewandowski during the 2022–23 season, when Barcelona won La Liga under Xavi.

According to the author, Lewandowski met with several members of the Barcelona board – including president Joan Laporta – two weeks before the end of the championship.

At that moment, Barça had mathematically secured the title, while the Polish striker led the scorers’ list with 23 goals.

At the meeting, one of the leaders made an unprecedented request:
“Robert, we need you to stop scoring in the last two games.”

Lewandowski was shocked, as he had never been asked something like this in his career.

The reason? Simply financial. If the Pole reached 25 goals, Barcelona had to pay Bayern Munich a bonus of 2.5 million euros, while the club was in a deep economic crisis.

The striker played the last two games of the season, but did not score. However, he won the Pichichi trophy, beating Karim Benzema.

The book also reveals another episode showing the club’s financial difficulties. During one trip, Lewandowski asked the chef why there were so few meat and fish choices on the menu. The answer was straightforward: “We need to save money.”