""Robert, we want you to stop scoring goals in the final matches." The player looked at him in disbelief. Although the league title was already decided, as well as the top-scorer award, in more than a decade playing at the highest level, no one had ever asked him to stop scoring a goal in his entire career," the book read."
"Barcelona was obligated to pay Bayern Munich a €2.5 million bonus if Lewandowski reached 25 goals in the La Liga campaign. With the title already clinched and the striker sitting on 23 goals late in the season, the club hoped to avoid additional payments that could further strain its delicate finances. In the final two matchdays, a 3-0 win over Mallorca and a 2-1 loss to Celta Vigo, Lewandowski played the full 90 minutes in both matches but did not score."
Barcelona asked Robert Lewandowski to stop scoring goals in the final matches despite the title and top-scorer award being decided. The request aimed to avoid triggering a €2.5 million bonus owed to Bayern Munich if Lewandowski reached 25 La Liga goals. Lewandowski reacted with disbelief given his decade-long top-level career without such a request. In the final two matchdays he played the full 90 minutes in a 3-0 win over Mallorca and a 2-1 loss to Celta Vigo and did not score. As a result, Barcelona avoided paying the bonus on top of the €45 million transfer fee amid broader club financial difficulties.
Read at Bavarian Football Works
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