Original article from L'Équipe, published in 2023.

It comes as no surprise that Robert Lewandowski is the consummate professional. On a scorching July morning, the Polish star was back in training, and everything was right on track. "The tests are very good; the season can begin," he smiled, looking sharp in a light blue polo shirt that matched his crystal-clear eyes. We met on a terrace in Castelldefels, a small seaside town about twenty kilometers south of Barcelona, not far from his home. For the next hour, the Barça forward—a 2020 Champions League winner with Bayern Munich and the man who shattered Gerd Müller's records—delved deep into his relationship with modern football, his motivations, and his new life in Spain.

The man famous for starting his meals with dessert—though he insists his routines are constantly evolving—has aged, but he still possesses an unshakeable inner fire and balance, supported by his wife, Anna Lewandowska, a former karate champion who also serves as his personal coach and nutritionist. The couple and their children feel at home in Barcelona, happy to have settled in a corner of the world bathed in constant sunshine. It could have been PSG, who made a strong push last summer through Nasser al-Khelaïfi and even Kylian Mbappé. But here on the Mediterranean coast, on the cusp of a second season that Lewandowski expects to be even more successful after securing a league title that had eluded Barça since 2019, everything is going perfectly. And, if you believe him, it could stay that way for a long time.

Novak Djokovic said at Wimbledon that "36 is the new 26." So, on August 21st, are you actually celebrating your 25th birthday?

(Laughs.) It's just a number. When I wake up in the morning, I don't think about my back getting older, and when I see my test results, everything is fine. Sometimes they're even better than before. You can't compare sports today to how they were twenty years ago because our understanding and knowledge have evolved. I know exactly what I need to do, and when I compare myself to the young players on the team, I see that I'm still right there with them. I still have a lot of energy.

How do you explain that?

I'm constantly evolving my preparation. It's completely different from what it was three or four years ago. It's a personal quest: there are doctors and science, yes, but nothing beats my own feeling. My routines are always changing, and I analyze everything. I'm more attentive to the quality of what I eat, for example. The world changes over the years and seasons, and I try to understand it.

Why is trying new things so essential?

If I don't change anything, I stagnate, or even regress. I hate comfort zones. That applies to my personal life and my football career. Humans tend to think that evolution is a risk. But just because you change something doesn't mean you become weaker. On the contrary, I'm always searching.

You're just back from vacation. Isn't that difficult?

I have no problem with temptation, so no. I don't have a "season mode" and a "vacation mode"; it's just my lifestyle. Hamburgers don't appeal to me. My mind is very clear about that. What am I looking for? To be flexible, fast, explosive. I don't spend my days in the gym building muscle. I always weigh around 80-81 kg, with 6 or 7% body fat. Even on vacation, that doesn't change. Maybe 500 grams, at most...

Do you think about all this from the moment you wake up?

It all depends on who gets up first (laughs), but I mainly have to wake up my daughters and get them ready for school. Training comes after that. What's certain is that I love my life. I don't feel any mental or physical fatigue. We all have our "hangover" mornings after a loss, but when I open my eyes and see the bright Barcelona sun... I go to training full of desire. I've discovered a new way of life here, and that's what we wanted. Having that big smile at home that stays with you all the way to training... What more could you ask for?

What motivated the decision to leave Munich after eight seasons at Bayern?

To change my lifestyle, country, language, and meet new people... I always dreamed of playing in Spain, and it was the right time. At my age, I was convinced that I had to take this step forward. At Bayern, I accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish. I broke records, I won a lot. I was happy there, but I don't want to stand still. The time was right; deep down, I felt it.

Was the transition unsettling?

Of course, you worry. I didn't know how my family, the children, and I would adapt. You're never sure. Everything changes: the rhythm, the culture, the habits... But this place has lived up to our expectations. We use our bikes a lot, go for many walks, run, and do water sports. I train a lot on the beach. The food is also really good, with a lot of fish. And then there's paella... seafood paella, please!

And a bit of dancing, too?

A little. (Laughs.) I try! I quite like it, my wife much more so, but I'm getting into it. I love music. After all, why not? It's something new in our lives, and it's cool.

How is your Spanish?

(He switches to Spanish with a big smile.) Very, very good. We can speak in Spanish, no problem!

How revitalizing is this for you as a player?

It's new energy. Suddenly, you know nothing. It takes a little time to adapt to the way of working, the way of traveling. I arrived with a lot of questions, and now I have the answers. For example, should I do my extra workout before or after the day's session? How should I plan my preparation? After the World Cup, I had an insane preparation because I had been suspended (for three matches after a red card), but the suspension was lifted at the last moment. As a result, I was drained; I had no gas left in the tank! And I spent the entire second half of the season chasing my form.

In this very young team, did you feel you had a role to play beyond the pitch?

Yes. Beyond the goals scored, it's about mentality. It's not just about being exemplary in training. But for my first season here, I couldn't always be the priority. As a striker, you sometimes have to think only of yourself, but that wasn't what we needed then. And with the young players, we understood each other quickly. They don't speak English, so I felt I had to improve my Spanish rapidly. Despite that, we managed to connect well on the pitch from the start of the season, through another language, which is simply the language of football.

Your technical connection with Pedri was quick and seamless.

I love players who understand football. He sees things; it's easy. It's body language, anticipation. We found a feeling despite having different sensibilities.

Do you think this process is still ongoing?

No, it develops over time. At Bayern, during my first year (2014-2015), I didn't have the connections I later developed with Thomas Müller and others. It's not automatic. It takes time to understand each other's movements, what someone sees or doesn't, what they are capable of doing or not. We have enormous potential at Barcelona. And they will know exactly where I'm going to make my run, when... Even though the first season was very good, I know we can do better, especially in the Champions League (Barça finished 3rd in their group behind Bayern and Inter Milan, before being eliminated by Manchester United in the Europa League playoffs). All of this will help us take the next step, and I know I can be a mentor. The one who can ensure we score four goals when we're winning 3-0, instead of settling for less.

Last season, it was more often 1-0 than 3-0...

(He smiles.) Yes, that's for sure! And I understood the situation. Very few players in this team had ever won anything. For 70% of the squad, or even more, it was their first league title. I saw that it meant something immense and that winning 1-0 was good enough. Confidence will help us move beyond that, to take more risks. That's part of my role and it's also what Xavi (the coach) wants.

He has consistently highlighted your work ethic. At what age did you start focusing on that?

I realized I always had to do more when I got injured at 17. Then I started working hard from the age of 19. The deep reflections came around 20, 21, when you think about what you do at home. And one day, I spoke about it with Anna, who was already my girlfriend, telling her: "We have to think about everything, really everything." (He reflects on his life.) Before that, my father also shaped me that way! I was too young to understand, but he believed you always had to do that little bit extra. He was my sports teacher and was a pain about gymnastics, for example.

"It took me a long time to understand that I can't demand from others what I demand from myself"

But isn't it frustrating for a player like you to see some people not reaching their full potential?

For a long time, yes, it annoyed me. It took me a while to understand that I can't demand from others what I demand from myself. That was a big mistake. Progress depends first and foremost on oneself. Afterwards, maybe some were inspired by me. I get asked a lot of questions about my experience and my work off the pitch. But it's in their hands; I'm aware of that today. I might have been harsh in the past, especially with the national team. Putting on too much pressure.

So, would it have been easier to play an individual sport?

It's true that you're alone with yourself, but that's also the difficulty because you can't rely on anyone. But I'm lucky: I played at Bayern, now at Barça. The biggest challenge is playing for Poland and changing my expectations. For a long time, I wanted the impossible, for those two worlds to be alike. It's not easy to be fully aware of the context you're in.

You seem to ask yourself a lot of questions. Isn't the risk that you stop asking them when everything is going well?

That's what I was talking about with comfort zones. It's easier to get to the top than to stay there. You always have to look for that extra something, but not all players want to be at the very top. You then become the pack leader, the one who polarizes expectations. The world looks at you differently. You have to be good, strong, exemplary, with top morale. Talent alone no longer exists. Not everyone seeks to be the headliner and take on that status, and I understand those who prefer to stay a bit more in the background. A team needs them too. But to meet these expectations, you have to be constantly alert. It's not for a day, a month, or a period. No. You have to want it every day and act accordingly: open your eyes, your mind, and your horizons.

So, managing pressure is also a job?

That's true for the entire psychological dimension. Social media, the media... they've all been added to the mix. Even if you say nothing, it's said for you. There's also the fact that some people live their dreams through you, and if you don't achieve them, they get frustrated and project that onto you. It doesn't matter what you did to try to get there. I'm not perfect, I don't know everything. Not everyone understands that. The big photos, the newspapers, the internet—they turn us into products. On one hand, yes, we are a bit... But not only that... We are still human, with bad feelings sometimes. Between two Instagram photos posted three days apart, nobody knows what's really going on. We have our mornings where bad things mix together, and we have to work so that it doesn't have too much of an influence. But it's not simple. A few years ago, I realized that the best therapy would be to talk to someone. It helps you understand what's going on inside. Sometimes it's just a need to externalize. It also helps to understand the changing world.

And how much does the world interest you?

(He thinks.) Politics, not that much, for example. I follow it, it interests me, but not every day. What interests me most, I would say, is understanding the bubble we are in, whether it's my family or my team, and working on their well-being. With the national team, for example, as captain, it was important for me at times to protect what created a good atmosphere, despite what might be said. It consisted of taking 100% of the pressure on myself so that everyone felt good. It's not easy because it hurts me sometimes, but it's my responsibility. From the outside, you might think that money makes things automatic, but our well-being doesn't depend on that.

Do you ever think back to the child you were, who once ended up at the police station for throwing yogurt at officers? It's a stark contrast to the man you are today.

(Laughs.) Yeah, I made a lot of mistakes. I was a turbulent teenager, like many, and full of energy (he also confirms he sometimes borrowed his parents' car without permission or a license). I don't forget that part of my life. It's a part of me.

Is it thinking back to that child, full of dreams, that made you so emotional for your first World Cup goal with Poland?

It was something that was missing in my life. It would have been a regret.

You scored against Saudi Arabia in the group stage and then again against France in the round of 16. How important was that first goal?

I had to score that goal. With Poland, the first challenge is just qualifying for the World Cup. After that, you allow yourself to dream... a little. And I know I'm not going to get many chances. I had missed a penalty against Mexico, which was my only shot of the match. It was possible that it would be my only opportunity of the entire World Cup. There's more pressure not to miss THE moment.

"When I started, people didn't necessarily believe in me because I was the guy from Poland."

Iga Swiatek, the world No. 1 in tennis, has spoken about an inferiority complex that comes with being from Poland.

Of course... I experienced not a lack of respect, but a certain disdain. When I started out, people didn't necessarily believe in me because I was the young guy from Poland. It had been a long time since a Polish player had reached that level, so it was seen as impossible. There were a few tears when I was young, and a lot of misunderstanding. People were limiting my potential.

That has changed a bit, though. With you, with Iga...

And it's great. I'm very happy about it. I'd even like to see more. I follow all of them. What's funny is that some people are starting to compare us. She's at the top in tennis, I'm at the highest level in football... Fantastic! And for Iga, it's not going to stop anytime soon. She's 22 and has so many years ahead of her. She's just starting to get used to it all. She's going to stay at the very top for a long time.

And you, do you see yourself staying at the top for many more years?

I'm preparing for it. I have this energy deep inside me, so it can last a while longer. As for what comes after, I don't know. I have a lot of projects, but to tell you which one will get me out of bed in the morning... A coach? I don't think so. Maybe I'll miss the dressing room so much that I'll change my mind. In any case, I know there is an end. Maybe it will be better, after all. The "after," although different by nature, isn't necessarily worse. It doesn't bother me too much. Today, when I have time off, I get bored quickly. That means things are good. I still love scoring goals, and I haven't explored everything in football yet.