Robert Lewandowski has been one of the top strikers of the 21st century, and even at 37 he remains capable of performing at the highest level in Europe. But under head coach Hansi Flick, his role at Barcelona has been reduced. With only two starts since the beginning of the 2025-26 season, the Polish forward has spoken out about his current situation at the club.
The 2024-25 campaign was Flick’s first in charge, and Lewandowski led the team in scoring with 42 goals in 52 matches, ranking among the most prolific strikers in Europe. This season, however, Barcelona have already played seven games, with Lewandowski featuring in six of them but earning a place in the starting XI just twice.
On Thursday, Lewandowski came off the bench to score the go-ahead goal in Barcelona’s comeback win over Real Oviedo. Afterward, he reflected on his slow start to the season. “At the end of preseason I picked up an injury, and at the start it was more difficult — I needed more time to find rhythm,” the player admitted while speaking to DAZN after the 3-1 win.
The veteran striker stressed that there’s no urgency for him to force his way into the lineup, pointing to the team’s depth as a key advantage: “I have patience, there’s no rush, the season is very long and I want to play whenever I’m at 100 percent. I feel very good now, and for the team it’s also important to have all the players available.”
Lewandowski’s hamstring injury, suffered in preseason, kept him out of the Joan Gamper Trophy against Como and the La Liga opener against Mallorca. Since then, Flick has limited his starts to just two — against Newcastle United in the UEFA Champions League and against Getafe in league play.
The Getafe game remains the only one in which Lewandowski has completed the full 90 minutes, a sign that his fitness is improving. In 233 minutes across six appearances, he is averaging just under 39 minutes per game, but his three goals already underline his continued value as a reliable scoring option for Barcelona.
Lewandowski and his relationship with Flick
Flick previously coached Lewandowski at Bayern Munich from 2019 to 2021, a period that included a historic treble with the striker again playing a pivotal role. At Barcelona, the German manager has so far restricted his minutes but remains fully aware of the impact the veteran can provide.
Against Oviedo, Flick made the decisive call to replace Raphinha with Lewandowski, who described the moment afterward. “I just did what I always do,” he said with a laugh. “Hansi didn’t ask me for anything specific. Every three days you have a match, so we have to manage all the minutes and know how to rotate. If we win, we can say we’ve done things the right way.”