‘It’s time to move on’… but he says ‘Catalonia is my place in the world’
Poland captain Robert Lewandowski will make his final appearance at the Camp Nou as a Barcelona player on Sunday after declaring he is leaving the club “work done” after four seasons at the Spanish champions.
A day before Barca host Real Betis in their final home game of the season (20:15 BST), 2021 Ballon d’Or runner-up Lewandowski said “it’s time to move on”, adding that he “will never forget the love I received from the fans from my early days”.
“Catalonia is my place in the world,” said the 37-year-old, calling his stay “beautiful” and “the best chapter of my career”.
“Barca is back where it should be.”
Why did Lewandowski leave Barcelona?
The veteran is no longer a regular starter for Barca, coming on as a substitute 14 times and being left unused four of the 33 times Lewandowski has been in the Liga matchday squad this season.
His 13 goals include a hat-trick in a 4-2 win over Celta Vigo in November and, most recently, one in a 2-1 win at Osasuna on May 2.
Lewandowski’s agent, Pini Zahavi, has been negotiating with Al-Hilal and other clubs in Saudi Arabia for months, according to AS.
The outlet reported that Milan, Juventus and Porto have made offers and representatives of MLS side Chicago Fire have traveled to Barcelona to try to lure Lewandowski.
What does Barca boss Flick say about Lewandowski?
Barca manager Hansi Flick, who helped Lewandowski win the top flight in his first two seasons at the club, described the forward’s exit as “good” for his player and said his team would “reorganize”.
Under Flick, Lewandowski is said to have been a good example for young players such as Lamine Yamal, 18, from Spain, who came second in the Ballon d’Or in 2025.
Yamal, Ferran Torres, Fermin Lopez and Raphinha are among Flick’s other options for taking on Lewandowski, while Marcus Rashford has been on loan from Manchester United this season, with an option to make the move permanent for £26 million.
When will be Lewandowski’s last game for Barcelona?
Along with their visit from Betis, Barca play their final game of the season on May 23 when they travel to Valencia (20:00 BST) in what could be Lewandowski’s farewell.
Flick’s side won the title with three games remaining with a 2-0 home win against arch-rivals Real Madrid on May 10.
Lewandowski came on for that game and played throughout their 1-0 defeat at Alaves on May 13.
Robert Lewandowski: Statistics for Barcelona
A three-time La Liga winner since joining from Bayern Munich for a fee rising to £44 million in July 2022, Lewandowski has made 191 appearances for Barcelona.
The former Borussia Dortmund, Lech Poznan, Znicz Pruszkow, Legia Warsaw and Delta Warsaw hitman has scored 119 goals and was named in the Liga team of the season for three consecutive seasons between 2023 and 2025.
As well as those league titles in 2023, 2025 and this season, Lewandowski won the Spanish Super Cup in each of those campaigns and the Copa del Rey in 2024/25.
