Lewa confirms the surreal request that exposed Barca's financial struggles

Robert Lewandowski's numbers at Barcelona are beyond dispute: 109 goals in 165 games in just three and a half seasons. A lethal striker, a model professional… and, at one surreal moment, a goalscorer who was asked not to score.

As you've already probably read it at Mozzart Sport Kenya, Barcelona had requested Lewandowski to ease off in La Liga during the final stretch of matches in his first season with the club. The reason was purely financial. Sitting on 23 league goals, two more would have activated a clause obliging Barca to pay €2.5 million to Bayern Munich.

Crazy revelation: Barca asked Lewandowski to stop scoring!?

Now, the Polish striker himself has confirmed it.

Speaking to journalist Bogdan Rymanowski, Lewandowski admitted the request was made - and did not hide how strange it felt.

"There are things I don't want to talk about too much. I respect Barcelona and the people who work here. I was aware of the club's situation," he said.

"It was a bonus clause, and at that moment, Barcelona was trying to save every euro. It wasn't a small amount. For me, nothing really changed, but it stayed in my head. I wondered whether to score a goal or not."

A sentence that sums up the paradox perfectly: a striker questioning whether scoring was the right thing to do.

The episode is a stark reminder of how delicate Barcelona's financial situation still is. Although the club has made progress in recent seasons, it remains constrained by La Liga's economic rules and is still fighting to return fully to the 1:1 spending ratio.

In that context, €2.5 million mattered. Enough to spark one of the most unusual requests in modern football - asking a world-class No.9 to hold back in front of goal.

Barcelona continue to promise financial stability and recovery. But Lewandowski's story shows just how thin the margins have been - and how deeply money has influenced decisions, even on the pitch.