Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski admits to dip – “In 2023, my spark went out”

Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski has come in for heavy criticism in Catalonia, failing to hit the heights he did at the start of his first year, and struggling to lead the line. The Polish forward has admitted that he lost some of his enthusiasm for the game.

Lewandowski, it is widely viewed in Spain, has not been the same since the Qatar World Cup in 2022, and his struggles have both been part of Barcelona’s dip in form, but also contributed to their thus far poor season.

He has admitted that he did not feel the same, bearing in mind he is now 35.

“In 2023, there was a time when I felt not only mentally, but also physically weaker. That year, all the bad and negative things seemed to come together in a moment. Everything accumulated,” he said on Foot Truck, as carried by Sport.

However he says he is on the way up again, and that physically he is finding his feet again.

“Of course, I made mistakes too. I fell into a kind of current and it took me too long to get out of it, to get back to normal, and in football it’s not so easy to do it in a week or two weeks.”

“During that period I did physical tests and individual training in my free time and it turned out that they looked good and also gave me a lot of answers. I see that I am moving forward physically, even at the club,” Lewandowski commented.

Lewandowski acknowledges that he lost his driving force though.

“I can look back and this is an indicator for me that shows me that there are still good times ahead, but in 2023 there was a moment where my spark went out.”

While the Polish striker does have five goals in 2024, the general consensus is that he remains some way off the level he was at when he joined the Blaugrana, although few players at Barcelona are excelling. Xavi Hernandez has spoken openly about his touch and final pass being lacking of late.

If these statements were made by a Lewandowski fully firing, Barcelona fans might be reassured by his hunger for the game coming back. The fact he continues to struggle, makes it a worrying interview for the club too.