‘Wake up message’ issued by Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona’s young players

‘Wake up message’ issued by Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona’s young players Robert Lewandowski characterised Barcelona’s loss to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday as “a valuable lesson for all of our young players.”

In midweek, Barcelona advanced to the Champions League semi-finals despite suffering a 3-1 defeat to Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park. The Catalans maintained a 4-0 lead from the first leg, but they were on the brink of an unlikely elimination as Dortmund capitalised on numerous opportunities. Lewandowski cautioned, “This match has the potential to serve as a valuable lesson for all of our young players.”

“The Champions League is the Champions League, and you must always be prepared. Not at 90% or 95%, but at 100%.” Lewandowski, who is 36 years old, is the most senior member of a young Barcelona squad. The club’s star forward, Lamine Yamal, is still not lawfully an adult, while half of the outfield players who started against Dortmund were 23 years old or younger.

The last time Barcelona reached the final four of the Champions League, Yamal was 11 years old. Lewandowski continued, “We provided Dortmund with numerous opportunities to score and create chances.” “Perhaps this is the catalyst we required to awaken; we must draw lessons from the events that transpired.”Barcelona had not experienced a loss in any of their initial 24 matches across all competitions to commence 2025.

The club’s ambitions to win the Champions League title were not compromised by the conclusion of that run, which was the fourth-longest in its history, on Tuesday. Lewandowski acknowledged, “It would have been preferable to have made mistakes and lost now.” Nevertheless, he promptly followed up with,

“There is no room for so many errors in the future.” Hansi Flick, the manager, was also eager to emphasise the advantages. Upon exiting Barcelona’s dressing room, the German expressed, “The atmosphere was not conducive to a positive experience.” “However, I then declared, ‘Guys, it is time to celebrate; we have reached the semi-finals of the Champions League!'”