Robert Lewandowski confirms Saudi Pro League & MLS move intentions
- 35-year-old Lewandowski won Pichichi Trophy in first season at Barcelona
- The Polish national team captain admits previous interest in moving to MLS
- Barcelona contract has three years to run after €45m move from Bayern
Robert Lewandowski says he has no intention of leaving Barcelona to head to the Saudi Pro League or MLS.
The 35-year-old joined Barcelona from Bayern Munich on a four-year contract last summer, bringing the curtain down on a hugely successful career in Bavaria.
Lewandowski won eight consecutive Bundesliga titles with Bayern, adding to the two he won under Jurgen Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, and is second the highest goalscorer of all time in Germany's top division - his 312 strikes second only to the legendary Gerd Muller.
His €45m (£38.5m) move to Barcelona in July 2022 was a record sale for Bayern, and he continued his outstanding goalscoring form by scooping the Pichichi Trophy in his first season in Spain - 23 goals in 34 La Liga outings four more than the number of strikes Karim Benzema managed in his final season at Real Madrid.
Speaking about his long-term future to AS, Lewandowski batted away any suggestion that he'd consider moving to the Saudi Pro League - who have spent an extraordinary amount of money on players this summer to boost the profile of the league and country - and also appeared to rule out a move to MLS despite revealing a previous desire to move stateside.
"I don't even think about it (going to Saudi). I'm super happy in Barcelona, in the team, in the city, with my family. As a person I am happy," the Polish national team captain said.
"Before the coronavirus pandemic, the idea of MLS was firmly in my head, but somehow I changed my mind afterwards. After the Barcelona chapter, it's hard to imagine going there."
Lewandowski also spoke about his goalscoring exploits at Barcelona which although still good are not at the levels he was producing at Bayern.
On his performance in comparison to the past, he added: "Before Barcelona I was a machine, here I have become more human.
"Some of the comments about the number of goals I scored were crazy, especially in the 41-goal season at Bayern (beating Gerd Muller's Bundesliga record). Breaking records is no longer my main goal. The most important thing is to help my team win and enjoy the matches. Don’t get me wrong: I still want to succeed and score goals, but I’m not as tenacious as I used to be."
Lewandowski is already up and running for the 2023/24 season, netting twice in four La Liga outings to help Barcelona pick up ten points from a possible 12.
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