Robert Lewandowski Endorses Rodri's Move to Barcelona
Robert Lewandowski has given a ringing endorsement of Barcelona’s move for Spanish World Cup winner Rodri, backing the midfielder to become the new reference point in Hansi Flick’s dressing room.
The Polish striker, who left Camp Nou for Chicago Fire this summer, knows exactly what kind of void he has left behind. Goals, of course. But also hierarchy, presence, the voice that carries when pressure closes in. Flick went straight for Rodri to help fill it.
The Barça coach pushed hard for the signing, convinced the former Manchester City anchor could step into that leadership space and steady the team after Lewandowski’s departure to MLS. For Lewandowski, it’s a perfect fit.
Speaking to Radio Marca, he laid out why Rodri is the kind of player Barcelona need right now. Not just a metronome in midfield, but a guide.
“He’s a player who knows what the team needs, how to play going forward, but also how to contribute a little more in defence,” Lewandowski said. “He's the kind of experienced player I think this team needs. He’s a player who has been performing at the highest level not just at the World Cup, but for many years now.”
That résumé matters in a dressing room suddenly without one of its most senior figures. Rodri arrives as a world champion, a Champions League winner, and a player used to carrying responsibility on the biggest stages. For a squad still maturing, that kind of presence can change the temperature of a season.
As he praised Rodri, Lewandowski also allowed himself a look back at his own Barcelona chapter. He joined in 2022 from Bayern Munich and wasted little time stacking up trophies and numbers. Across four seasons in Spain, he lifted three La Liga titles and captured the Pichichi trophy as the league’s top scorer, underlining his status as one of the defining forwards of his generation.
“It was a very special four years for me in Barcelona,” he reflected. “But there comes a time when you have to try something different and take a new step, and I’m very happy now.”
That new step has taken him far from the European spotlight. Chicago, MLS, a different rhythm, a different football culture. Lewandowski didn’t pretend the transition is seamless.
“It’s normal [to need time], not only because I’m leaving Europe, but also because I’m moving to the United States,” he admitted, acknowledging the scale of the change as he settles into life with Chicago Fire.
The competition is different. The travel is heavier. The noise around the league has grown, but it is not Camp Nou on a title run-in. For a player who has spent his career at the sharp end of European football, this is a reset as much as a reinvention.
Yet his connection to Barcelona clearly hasn’t loosened. Even from across the Atlantic, he remains emotionally tied to the club and to the project Flick is now shaping.
“I’m not a very emotional person, I’m more cold-hearted, but this is a moment when I’ll always be there to support and help FC Barcelona and my former team-mates,” he said. “I’m watching what’s happening now and I’m sure they’re going to win a lot of games.”
That confidence rests heavily on Rodri’s shoulders. The midfielder is expected to anchor the side, dictate the tempo and quietly assume the leadership mantle that Lewandowski once carried in the final third. If the Spaniard settles quickly, Flick’s team will feel the benefit in every phase of play.
Barcelona now move into the season with a new voice at the heart of their midfield and the blessing of the striker who used to define their attack. The question is no longer whether Rodri fits. It’s how far he can take them.
