Robert Lewandowski announced on Friday that he will leave Barcelona this summer when his contract expires, bringing to an end a four-season spell at the club that began in 2022. The 37-year-old said the decision comes after “four years full of challenges and hard work, it's time to move on.”
Lewandowski's exit will be staged in public: his final home game for Barcelona comes on Sunday at the Spotify Camp Nou against Real Betis, with the team set to finish their campaign the following Saturday at Valencia.
The statistics underline what the club and the player have been celebrating. Lewandowski scored 119 goals in 191 games for Barcelona, helped the side to three La Liga titles and was part of the squad that won the 2025 Copa del Rey. Barcelona were confirmed as champions after their 2-1 win at Osasuna earlier in the month, a result that helped set them up for the title success this season.
But the numbers also carry a quieter note. This season Lewandowski started only 15 league games because of a number of injuries over the past year. He still made a late appearance in Barcelona's Clasico win over Real Madrid last weekend — a cameo that offered one of his last recognisable moments in the colours.
Barcelona issued a short tribute on Friday, writing: "Thank you, Robert Lewandowski, for every goal, every [bit of] fight, and every magical moment wearing these colours. He arrived as a star, he leaves as a legend." Lewandowski answered in kind, writing that he leaves “with the feeling that the mission is complete. Four seasons, three championships.”
Hansi Flick, who has worked with Lewandowski for years, said the forward spoke with the team and said goodbye. "He spoke with the team, said goodbye, and that it was a great time for him here in Barcelona," Flick said, adding that he and Lewandowski had won together — "nine [trophies] - all the titles I've won were with him."
Flick lauded Lewandowski's professionalism. "For me it's a privilege to work with him. He's a professional player. Every day he gave the best with his body to be at the highest level," Flick said. He described Lewandowski as "a perfect role model for young players - a fantastic human, but also a world-class player. This is why he's still playing at this level."
The arc of Lewandowski's Barcelona career is simple on paper and complicated in detail. He arrived from Bayern Munich in 2022 after eight seasons in Germany, immediately expected to lead the attack and to help return Barca to the top of Spanish football. He did both: three La Liga crowns and a Copa del Rey are the tangible returns. His goal return — 119 in 191 matches — is a clear measure of impact.
What the season also leaves is a softer ledger. Injuries curtailed his appearances, and he started only 15 league matches. That combination — fewer starts but continued scoring over four seasons — framed the farewell as both triumph and epitaph.
There is one other item on the known timeline. Last December, Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire said they had talks with Lewandowski over a move to the United States, a discussion that remains a discrete fact amid the wider farewell. Beyond that, Lewandowski has been explicit about his attachment to Barcelona and its fans: "Barca is back where it belongs," he said, and, "I will never forget the love I received from the fans from my very first days. Catalonia is my place on earth."
Sunday's match at the Spotify Camp Nou will be the clearest measure of the player's place in Barcelona's recent history — both a celebration and a goodbye. The club finishes the season at Valencia the following Saturday, a final match that will close the campaign and his contract at the same time.
Lewandowski's departure closes a chapter that began in 2022 and will be remembered for goals, trophies and late-career resilience. He said plainly what many already felt: "I leave with the feeling that the mission is complete. Four seasons, three championships." The question now is not whether he is leaving — he is — but what the next chapter will be for a player who left as a star and, by the club's words, departs as a legend.
