Lewandowski weighs in on Lamine Yamal's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or

Robert Lewandowski participated in an extensive interview for the BBC prior to the start of the 2025/26 season with FC Barcelona, the fourth he will face as a culé. In it, he anticipates several key issues related to his professional career and his future goals.

In that sense, Lewy began by talking about his competitive state to face a campaign that is expected to be demanding, in a locker room full of young talents: "When I see that I don't have to catch up with the young players yet, but they have to catch up with me, it means that the next season can also be very good," explained the Pole.

The former Bayern Munich player argued that, at 36 years old, his optimal physical condition remains one of the great pillars to remain a top scorer. A constant motivation to "show the best of myself".

Lewandowski's competitive state for the 2025/26 season

Returning to the topic of the young players surrounding him in the FC Barcelona squad, where he appears as the oldest player alongside Szczęsny (35), the striker acknowledged that he is open to learning from emerging talents:

"I understood that I can't fight with them, but I can help them and they can also help me. I learn a lot from the guys"

His attitude shows a collaborative mentality and a key adaptation for a veteran who seeks to continue contributing in a rejuvenated and ambitious team.

Lewy's relationship with Lamine Yamal and the future of the young talent

In the interview, the striker was asked about his relationship with Lamine Yamal, with whom, despite the difference of almost 19 years, he has shown great complicity on and off the field. The '9' did not hesitate to surrender to the prodigy of Rocafonda: "It's the first time in my life that I see that, after 50 minutes, a player had something so special," he began by saying.

"I didn't believe it because I had never seen a footballer like that at that age. I thought that was impossible at 15 years old," he added.

Regarding the right winger's chances of winning the Ballon d'Or this season, he acknowledged that, although Yamal had a masterful 2024/25 season, it won't be easy: "Lamine's season was incredible, but in the end everything depends on the most important thing. He still has a lot of time, if it's not this year, maybe next year."

"He still has a lot of time, if it's not this year, maybe next year"

He added that: "Raphinha also had a sensational year. We have players who could be favorites to win this award."

Lewandowski and Raphinha, celebrating a goal with Barça

In the conversation, Lewy also touched on the topic of the 2020 Ballon d'Or, which was left vacant due to the pandemic, an award that, according to his individual and collective statistics, could have been for him. He still feels that thorn remains:

"I was in the best moment of my career, I won everything with my club. I think the difficult thing is that until now I don't know why I didn't end up winning it"

The Warsaw native's near arrival to Manchester United

One of the most striking moments of the interview was when he confessed that he was very close to wearing the Manchester United jersey at a key moment in his career: "I wanted to travel to Blackburn, but I have to admit that I hadn't decided at that moment that I wanted to go to Blackburn. But for Manchester United, I had said 'yes' to the club. I wanted to sign for the Red Devils, see Sir Alex Ferguson...", he asserted.

Regarding why that incorporation did not materialize, he explained: "At that time, in my second year at Dortmund, they couldn't sell me because they knew that if I stayed longer they could earn more money. Maybe I could wait one or two more years. But it's true that I had said 'yes' to Manchester United."

A golden opportunity lost, but that doesn't keep him up at night: "I don't have that feeling that I've missed something," he added, adding about not having played in the Premier League: "Every move I've made has been my decision, I did it because I wanted to and not because someone else wanted it."

Robert Lewandowski's legendary career, in numbers:

Although he hasn't played in the Premier League, Lewandowski has built a remarkable career. At 36 years old, he remains a star player in one of the best teams in the world, FC Barcelona. Before his time with the culé team, he had a successful stint at Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, adding at the club level more than 610 goals and 155 assists in 823 matches.

• 📌ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI'S NUMBERS WITH THE POLISH NATIONAL TEAM: 84 goals and 35 assists in 158 matches.

His record, as extensive as it is symbolic, speaks of a killer who will go down in football history for his goalscoring ability and his consistency in the elite.

• 🏆 LEWY'S RECORD: 8 Bundesligas, 3 DFB Pokal, 5 German Super Cups, 1 UEFA Champions League, 1 European Super Cup, 1 FIFA Club World Cup, 2 Leagues, 2 Spanish Super Cups and 1 Copa del Rey.