Barcelona enter the 2025–26 season regarded as one of the best teams on the planet and a threat to seriously contend for every trophy they’ll compete for.
But the story was very different this time three years ago when Robert Lewandowski made the move from Bayern Munich to Barcelona. At the time, the club was undergoing a serious rebuild, compromised by their financial troubles—which continue to this day—and entering Xavi Hernández’s first full season on the touchline.
Lewandowski played under Xavi for two seasons before the former midfield maestro was replaced by Hansi Flick a season ago. Barcelona fully returned to prominence under the German manager, but Lewandowski believes that the club’s resurgence began with Xavi.
“He [Xavi] was a very important person for me,” Lewandowski said in a recent interview with the . “I saw that he has something special to be a really good coach. For this club [Barcelona], what he did, in that tough moment, is a really good job. Sometimes people don’t appreciate this.”
“He loves this club and, because of him as well, Barcelona are now where we are,” Lewandowski added.
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