Robert Lewandowski: Replacing me at Barcelona will be difficult

Robert Lewandowski believes Barcelona will struggle to replace him when he leaves Catalonia.

The Poland international has one year left on his Barca contract and has yet to decide what he will do in 12 months’ time.

If he opts to move on then he thinks finding a natural successor could be problematic.

Lewandowski, 36, has been at Barca for three seasons, scoring 101 goals in 147 games over that period, including 42 in the recently completed campaign.

He told Mundo Deportivo: “I haven’t seen many players so far who play more than two or three years at full capacity and have scored more than 40 goals. That’s why I think that in general the level of goals has dropped a little, as was seen last season.

“That’s why it’s not easy and I’m talking about a player who has not only scored [that amount of goals for] one or two seasons, but three, four, five and more.”

The names of Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokores were put to Lewandowski but he did not namecheck them specifically in his reply, adding: “In the end you have to have the perfect solution, for the club, or the coach, or the system in which you want to play. In soccer, finding a scoring striker is not easy.”

Robert Lewandowski, en 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐚 para Mundo Deportivo:

¿Quién debe ser su relevo? el polaco responde

“En los últimos años no veo a un delantero goleador capaz de jugar a tope dos o tres años y marcando más de 40 goles” pic.twitter.com/0knpfzofbG

— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) June 2, 2025

Lewandowski refuses to divulge his own future

As for his own future, Lewandowski said it was too early to speculate.

“I have to say that now I have no idea,” he said. “Physically I’m fine and mentally I’m fine. I can say what I want to do at the moment, but we talk now about a year or more [in the future], and that’s a lot. 

“In football, three months, a week, two weeks, is a long time. But for now I’m thinking that the most important thing is that I’m preparing for a very good season. 

“I know that many people are looking at me because of my age, not because of the performances on the pitch. It may be that I played a very good game but did not score a goal, and then why [bring up] my age? If I have played badly, for example, it is normal, I can’t do anything.”

The former Bayern Munich star has not ruled out extending his spell at Barca and occupying an elder statesman role in a team of outstanding young talent.

He said: “I think I have enough time to decide what I want to do after next season. I can play at the same level as last season. 

“There is also another thing outside of football that in the end can change what I have in my head, for example. That’s why I think it’s too early now to think about these things. 

“I’m sure I’ll be physically fine. We have a few weeks to prepare for the season. I have enjoyed this team a lot and I am very proud to be able to play in it.”

Lewandowski hails Flick

Barcelona secured the Copa del Rey and La Liga double in boss Hansi Flick’s first year in charge and Lewandowski has been impressed with how the German, who he worked under at Bayern, has adapted to life at Barca.

“When Hansi arrived, I talked to him and explained how I saw the situation in this club,” said Lewandowski. 

“It was not easy for the coach and I think Hansi talked to all the players and he knew that if we wanted to win titles, we needed players at their best level. And that’s why I think that this season many players have played at their best level.

“I think that after this season, next season may be a little more difficult but if you are mentally preparing for these things, I am sure that we can play with a little more experience and in the end it will be a little easier. But of course, every rival now wants to win against us and we have to prepare for this.”