Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski made use of an appearance in front of the media late this week to send a crystal clear message to his critics.
This comes amid what have been a challenging few months for the veteran goalscorer.
Whilst Lewandowski enjoyed a fine campaign on the books of Barcelona when it comes to numbers – he found the net 42 times in all competitions – the 36-year-old was nevertheless the recipient of regular criticism on the part of the Blaugrana faithful.
Following the conclusion of the term, Lewandowski therefore made the call not to make himself available to Poland for the country’s upcoming round of World Cup qualifiers, instead keen to recharge both mentally and physically.
And as much only culminated in yet more condemnation, this time round on the part of his home country’s media.
And safe to say, such ongoing pressure and negativity has begun to take its toll on the experienced attacker himself.
Faced by the press in Poland on Friday evening, in quotes relaid by Diario Sport, Lewandowski refused to bite his tongue any longer, hitting back at his many critics in no uncertain terms:
“I don’t have to explain why I made this decision. Was it correct? The moment I decided it, it was. I think the boys will get by without my presence. This team doesn’t depend on me. I called coach Probierz because I wanted to talk to him honestly. I told him that I didn’t feel well physically or mentally. I was in a slump at the time. I felt that going to the training camp would not help me at the level he wanted.”
The Barcelona star continued:
“People don’t have all the information, they insinuate things and draw the wrong conclusions. Few people know what is really happening to me. Professional life is one thing, but it is also private. Fans would like to know everything, but it’s impossible. With all due respect to the media and journalists, none of you thought that, in addition to physical fatigue, there is also mental fatigue. Who among you knows how I feel and what’s best for me? I have my own ideas and at the time I thought it would be worth letting it go for the sake of next season and the rest of the qualifiers.”
Conor Laird – GSFN
