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Robert Lewandowski believes the scheming that has pushed him to the brink of joining Barcelona will be worth any upset it has caused.
After hitting 50 goals across all competitions for Bayern Munich last season, Lewandowski is on the brink of ending his eight-year spell with the Bundesliga champions.
It emerged that Lewandowski wanted to leave as Bayern wrapped up their 10th consecutive German league title.
The 33-year-old Poland international spoke of his clear desire to move on, a year before the end of his contract, and such straight talking left no doubt that he considered his time in Bavaria to be over.
It left Bayern needing to negotiate the best possible deal with Barcelona, and it was confirmed on Saturday that a fee has been agreed, reported to be around the €50million mark.
Bayern had denied they wanted to sell Lewandowski, and in doing so managed to drive up the offer to a level that suited them.
Speaking to German newspaper Bild, Lewandowski outlined his feelings now that he is set for the switch to LaLiga.
“I said that both sides did things that were unnecessary,” Lewandowski said. “But maybe certain things had to happen so that the transfer was possible in the end.
“I think both sides are happy now. Bayern get a lot of money, I can go to Barcelona. It was a long, difficult road, but I think that in the end everyone can look each other in the eye.”
In the 2020-21 campaign, Lewandowski broke Gerd Muller’s long-standing Bundesliga record by scoring 41 goals in a single season, while his 43 league goals in 2021 serve as the record for a calendar year in Germany’s top tier.
Lewandowski’s total of 312 Bundesliga goals is the second-most scored by any player in the history of the competition, behind Muller (365), while he leaves Bayern having accumulated 344 goals and 57 assists across 375 appearances in all competitions.
“I wanted to play in a league other than the Bundesliga, I had made that decision a long time ago,” Lewandowski said. “But I have to emphasise that it was the most difficult decision of my life.”
The former Borussia Dortmund striker said he needed to make a decision due to his daughter, Klara, being about to start school.
“If not now, it would probably never have been possible,” he said. “It was a unique opportunity.”
