Rio Meets Robert Lewandowski - Competing Against Messi & Ronaldo | I Said ‘Yes’ to Man United

Yes guys, I have travelled to come and sit down with one of the greatest strikers in the modern era, if not the greatest.

He has won everything at club level and played under some of the most incredible managers of this era.

And he is still one of the best in the business at scoring goals.

Robert Lewandowski.

Presented by Qatar Airways on this episode of Real Meets.

Hello guys.

Hey.

Here he is, the big man.

How are you doing?

It's big, yeah?

You good?

Yeah, Daniel.

Nice to see you, man.

You good?

I'm good, yeah.

Good, good, good.

Thanks for giving us the time.

We appreciate it.

Thank you.

I'll let you sit down.

How do you like Warsaw?

Yeah, do you know what?

I arrived this morning.

I came this morning, landed and I'm here now.

I didn't see nothing, but I've been before.

Only the sun.

I can't believe it.

I've got a tan.

I'm burnt.

Let's talk about watching football.

I love watching football.

Are you one of those that just loves to get the games on?

Sometimes, okay, I can watch the highlights, you know, this kind of things.

Something like 20, 30 minutes of the game just to see like what kind of teams playing, what kind of tactic, this kind of things.

But that 90 minutes of the game, no, I'm not this kind of guy that watching games because we have so many games.

So, you know, this is my private time.

I try to enjoy and to be more focused of, you know, my family on things that sometimes outside of football.

Tick tock, dancing, stuff like that.

No, no, I've seen you, I've seen you.

Yeah, COVID time was crazy.

So, you know, to be too long at home makes this kind of things.

But, you know, yeah, that was like for all of us.

I loved it, man, because I saw a different side to you.

I didn't know you was this jokey guy, because I always watch you on the pitch.

Number nine, goals.

Yeah, but you know, it's like, that's true that I was always focused on football, because I know that I want to try to be the best.

The game you've been in for so many years now, and it's changed over the years.

I think at some points, the number nine is the most important player.

It seems at the moment, the last few years, then the full backs became when they inverted the way Pep done it, they become very important and touch the ball more than most people.

And then recently, the last 18 months, maybe two years, it's like the number six, Rodri, this type of position, Cruz or Modric, Gundogan, who you played with before.

These guys are most important. Where do you think the most important position is in the pitch right now for the players?

Right now, I think position number six.

Because you have to find the balance between offensive and defensive.

And yeah, the last one, two years, this number makes the difference.

And of course, the football from the side for the fans, they want to see the goals, you know, but if you are inside and involved in football since years, and in my way, I met so many great coaches, you know, that I am starting from the club, then later when I moved to Bayern with Guardiola, Henkes, Ancelotti, you know, Nagelsmann, and so Hansi Flick now again, you know, even that also in Barcelona with Xavi.

So it's like for me, I'm very, you know, I'm very happy that I could meet this kind of guys.

You're lucky, man, you're lucky.

Yeah, I have to say, I don't know that you have how many players you can find with this kind of, you know, experience with the coaches, so...

Xavi Alonso is the only one who's close, I think.

He has like, he had Mourinho, Pep, Ancelotti, these guys, but I think you've gone past.

About the coaches also, I wanted always take the best things from every of the coaches, what they have.

Talking of coaches is a great opportunity to talk about someone who seems to have a big impact on your career,

Pep Guardiola, he signed you up at Bayern Munich.

What was it, take us back to the first time you met Pep and what he left you with?

Oh, the beginning was tough, you know, because Pep that time was very, very focused only on the football things.

As a human, he was difficult for the players.

Why?

Because he knew that he's so brilliant with the tactic that the players should follow him, and if the players follow him, they're going to win.

And I saw that later he's starting to change.

Like personality, or I said to be more a human, to be more open for the players, can help him more than something tactic.

Because I understood him, like if you're playing against the team that they don't have a big chance against us, of course tactic can help us a lot.

But if you compare like the semi-final, final of Champions League, this kind of, I think there's my mind.

Tactic is important.

I don't want to say not, but on this level, I think different things can make that you win or not, you know.

You hear a lot of players say that about Ancelotti.

Yeah.

It's not tactically where they say, oh genius, it's the people skills.

Yeah, he's like a father, you know.

He can come to you and say, why are you not so happy?

And he's like uncle, you know, so you can talk with him about everything.

So they're completely different.

Like for example Klopp, amazing guy, amazing, you know, he knows when he should to be more tough, but also he knows exactly when he should to be more like, like a friend, you know.

Did you think he was going to win immediately when you saw Pep?

When you saw him on a training pitch, did you straight away have belief we can win everything?

From the first training session, I was very impressed.

You know, he was so focused on details during the training session.

Even that before I never thought that is so important.

And I remember like when we playing like Rondo, you know,

before for me was like playing here, but for him was so important exercise during the training session.

Why? Why is it important?

Because it was important that you cannot play like the leg behind the second leg, you know, you have to be open with open body have to be open to see the three different way to play.

Not only if you close with the left, left shoulders that you, you don't see the left side open.

So you can only play back on the, or, you know, this way.

If you're more open with the upper body that you can play with the three different options.

So this kind of difference that I saw directly.

And when I came to, uh, to Bayern, I remember also that, um, later came to us Xabi Alonso and he was already that time 33, 35 years old.

If I remember good.

And before every training, he kicked go out before we started the training session.

And he started to play just easy pass.

And I was, I, I saw this and I, okay, can I play with you?

And, uh, but you know, passes of Xabi Alonso, it's not like quick and strong.

And on the beginning, he played like 10 passes, like perfectly on, on the pitch and my passes, like every three passes was like, pa, pa, pa, pa, pa, pa.

And I, mm, okay, I have to be more focused.

I have to train this.

And after, and I remember exactly after two or three months,

we could play like 10 from him, 10 from me, like perfectly passes, you know.

And he was already 35 years old, 34, I think.

Never stopped learning.

Yeah.

He never, even that time before, only 10 minutes before the training session, every training session.

And on the beginning for me was, okay, I take this.

I want to also do this next step in my, you know, with my technical things, you know, and after two months, I remember exactly that.

I was so impressed of myself that I could to play like him, you know, 10 passes.

And that was like, wow.

Oh, okay.

What, what, what are instructions like from somebody like Pep?

What's he asking of you as a number nine?

He never asked me about nothing.

No?

He just told you.

No, no.

Yeah.

He told me,

Levy, I cannot help you because you are better than me.

You know better how to finish the situation, how to finish the action, but I can help you how to bring the ball to you.

And these are all the things that he told me.

But we talked a lot around football and he explained me a lot about the tactic, how to right back should to go there, why the left back should to go more higher, why the central defender has to go with the ball and when he should to play on the right or the left.

We talked about because for me it was very interesting.

And even that for the so many players, Pep was like, they're afraid to go to him.

I was this kind of guy that I, if I didn't know something, I had the question, I go to him and ask about and he, if he see that I want to know, I want to learn, that he was more open to me also as a human.

And you know, it's like sometimes he explained me a lot.

I was so impressed that, that he give me this advice that he also the analyze after the game or before the game. So for Pep was so important to be prepared well for the appointment.

You know, he had some time. Oh, I love the story.

No, the story was amazing because I remember that all week we prepare for, you know, that we're going to play like that.

We want to play with the pressing.

We're doing like that.

And we are on the stadium before the game.

We go to warm up.

We're coming back to the dressing room, to the locker room after the warm up.

And he came to us.

Boys, boys, boys, sit, sit, sit, boys, boys, sit, sit, sit, listen, listen, listen.

And we are, what's going on?

You know, we are here, okay.

We are just, forget everything what we did last week.

And we, what?

We're playing like this.

And he showed us, you know, and for us was so easy to change the tactic.

Not even before the game, but during the game.

That was like easy, easy way, no problem.

Okay, we changed.

One of the things when I speak to any player that played for him, one of the key things that they always talk about positively around him and makes him separate from everybody else is that he makes these players understand all the details clearer than anybody.

You trust him.

Yeah.

You, if he provides some kind of tactic, you take this, even from the first, for the first things you say.

It's crazy, but after, I don't know, a few weeks, you didn't think about this.

Because you know it, that you can trust him.

And you take this because in the end, it's going to be exactly what he wants.

Did you ever go against him and say, no, no, I don't believe this.

I'm going to do my thing.

Robert Lewandowski knows where to get the goals.

I know how to shoot and score.

In my position, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I have to say that, you know, it's like, I'm trying to listen a lot of people.

I can take some advice from someone if it's good.

But in the end, I have to find the best solution.

Nobody can tell me because, okay, maybe one or second or third advice will be good.

But during the game, you have so many situations.

You don't have time to thinking, oh, he said, he gave me advice.

I should to run like this.

No, because you have to feel that.

You have to know it from your brain.

So in the end, I try to be or find the solution the best for me, you know, and for the team in the end, because I know that if I give my best, I can help not only myself, but also the team, because my goals help my teammates.

So it's like this connection is also important.

And sometimes, yeah, I had to think about what I should to do.

The decision for me will be the best for the team, but in the end also for me.

Because it's getting to a stage, I mean, I'm not scared, it's probably too strong, but I think a lot about this.

For a lot of players, the system is overriding and more important than the individual now.

And it's too much.

It's too hard.

Yeah, that's true.

So for so many players was sometimes too much tactics, too much videos, you know,

because you see some players sitting there sometimes like, oh my God.

Yeah, yeah.

But that was and that is still, you know, it's the, and I remember exactly that for the players sometimes, okay, again, we have to repeat this.

You have to be focused.

And of course, it's like in the life, some people don't want to do this because they don't have enough mentality to do this.

And they don't want because maybe they feel more happy if they don't do this, you know, it's, you cannot judge them because they do what for them is enough.

So Thomas Muller doesn't look like somebody who wants meetings and wants too much information.

He looks like he will go crazy, this guy.

Yeah, but Thomas Muller is very intelligent guy, you know, on the pitch.

He, he, he helped me a lot because always when he was behind me, you know, and I was make the press of the defender.

Sometimes that striker doesn't see that the, the number six going on the left on the right.

Okay.

I'll try to see, but it's easier for me if someone give me left, left, so I can block the way that the defender cannot play to the number six.

So for him, okay, if the, if he, if he blocked this pass, so I don't have to run there.

Yeah, yeah.

So it's better that I tell him left, left, and I'd be more focused on the second guy of the number six, you know.

So crazy.

But you know, he, for me, the Thomas Muller, you know, in the end, when I'm taking about this, that he didn't have the best shoot, he didn't have the technique or the speed,

but in the end, yeah.

He's scoring, impacting the game.

Yeah, exactly.

He'll, he read the game like nobody else on, on the football in my career, for example, and always he was so positive and it doesn't matter how he scored the goal, but he scored the goal.

It doesn't matter how he played pass, but the pass was there, you know.

So this is exactly Thomas Muller and I loved to play with him.

And yeah, it's like the main of the, of this club of Bayern Munich, I think.

And for the, this club is also future of, of, for, for, for him.

I love him.

Moving on, another manager, you could have had a big influence on your career.

Big Sam, Sam Allardyce.

Do you know him?

Yeah, I heard.

Is it true that he almost signed you from, is it Leg Poznan, for Blackburn Rovers?

Yeah, was, was like one meeting, I don't remember exactly.

How was this meeting, please, compared to Pep?

I remember that the place that I met with him or, and I think that also some sport director was, I think, with him.

But inside that I have different feeling, you know, that I wanted to go to the club who were playing in the, you know, in the competition, Europe competition.

And that time I have some, I have few, like, offers, yeah.

I wanted also only travel to see how looks, you know, training scum, how looks, you know, these kind of big clubs, but also to get, or to, to see the difference, experience, to get the experience, not that I want to join to this club.

Yeah.

Because I, I know that I want to, to take the different way that, for my career.

But I know, maybe I go, I see from my experience and I can learn something and, and that's all.

But in the end, yeah, that I met with him and I, I remember that he, they wanted me a lot.

But I know that, for me, this way is not perfectly time to, to join to them.

Well, what could have been, eh, if you'd have signed for Big Sam?

What kind of player you could have been?

But, you know, looking at strikers now, I think it's, it's, the role of a striker seems to have changed a little bit.

What number nine would you consider yourself as?

Because you've got, for instance, Harland is, doesn't want to touch the ball, doesn't care to touch the ball, but wants to score.

If he scores, he's happy.

Someone like Kane wants to be involved more, sometimes passing.

What number nine is Mr. Lewandowski?

Yeah, I'm between.

I'm not, I'm not happy if I don't touch the ball, you know, even that I score the goal and I finish well, that I, I got brilliant pass and sometimes, you know, I just touch the ball and it's inside the goal, but I'm not with, involved in the game, you know.

Okay, I don't want sometimes to be too much because then I have too far away, I'm too far away from the box, you know, the area.

But also I try to, even with the movement, without the ball, to take some defense and make the space for my teammates.

And so I'm between, I also like to be involved, to building up, to involved before I score the goal, but it's always the perfect way when I score the goal and I can be more involved and also my teammates can, can use the space that I make for them.

It's funny you say that about being a bit in between Xerxi, who a lot of the fans, especially the United fans who kind of listen and watch the pod.

He said he's a nine and point five, nine and a half.

What type of player is he?

Because a lot of people are asking the question, what type of player is Xerxi?

You played with him at Bayern Munich.

He played amazing with the back to the goal, you know, he can hold the ball, he can play with one touches or two touches and bring the wingers to behind his back.

He has also the good finishing in the box, because he's big, you know, he's young, but he's big and I think he can keep the ball, hold the ball very, very strong.

And of course, he needs a little bit of time.

It's normal if you join to this kind of club, big club with the huge expectation.

And he scored already a lot of goals in Serie A.

So for him, that was like the first season that he was involved.

Now, you know, as a typical striker.

But you know, you know that now the time for the Manchester is not so brilliant time.

Why are you laughing, man?

Come on.

It's true, you know, because this is the big team.

And of course, I wanted that they're coming back on the right track.

But he's the striker.

He can really help teammates and the team if you know how to use him, you know, and also he can score the goals.

But also he can, I think he's not typical goal scoring striker.

He's also the players who can help the teammates to create the space for them.

Okay, cool.

Well, that's good.

Make sure we start using him in the right way, man.

But when you play, I'm interested to know this because I'm a centre-back and I look at things from a defensive perspective to play against you.

I think it will be difficult because you, like you say, you can do both sides of the game.

Movement, passing, also scoring.

Devastating fashion.

Who have you had some of your most favourite and most difficult battles with?

I always remember when I competed with Sergio Ramos, you know, this against him to play was like a huge challenge, you know.

It was always like, he was playing always very hard, very strong, you know.

He wanted to be always close to me.

And that for me was some, wow, that the huge competition.

But yeah, I remember one Champions League games when we were playing against Manchester City and the company was playing there and I had to fight with him like, very, very strong and you know, he's big and I'm not so big, but maybe I'm strong because I'm like the natural strong inside me.

And I remember that I was so pissed off one time of him because he was playing very strong and I used my skills from judo a little bit, you know, and I...

Oh, you're done judo?

Yeah, because my father was like the judo and when I was young, also I trained a lot of judo, but only at home because he didn't want that I trying to train judo like the more professional.

And I remember the situation that I was so impressed with myself that, you know, that company is a big guy, defender, I put him down, you know, and yeah, that was like for me.

So judo helped you physically like in football as well?

Yeah, because not only physically, but also flexibility, you know, because in judo you have to be flexible, you have to know how to hand, shoot, to go, you know.

It's not like that you are like a robot, but your body is very flexible.

And also, when I was young and my father was my physical education teacher, and I was very angry because we never trained like the football, always the different sports like basketball, handball, volleyball, because my mother was volleyball player, my sister also, and we did a lot of gymnastic, as you know.

And when I was young, I did a lot of gymnastic, like I tried, you know, I knew how to do a lot of, you know, this kind of gymnastic things, that for anybody else was so difficult.

And I see now, after so many years, and I can be thankful for my father, the difference with the new exercise.

I can adapt very, very easy for the new exercise.

My body also, and probably because of this.

Because in football now, what do you see?

That the players from academy, they just play in football.

And, you know, if they, during the game, they have different moves, like the body is not so ready, you know.

And I see that they have so many problems with so many easy things, that before we did, when we go out from the, you know, from the apartment or from the house, and did during the day.

And now, you see, like, yeah, because the world looks...

Everybody stays inside the kids.

Exactly. You go to home, your parents bring you to the training session, then you come back to the home, go to the school, and it's like very the same way.

And before we spend so many times outside with friends doing different things.

And I think that for the future, for the young players, there's also the challenge to staying not only because of the games, how many games they have.

Because it's also that the subject is very difficult for the future.

I think that the quality and the level of the football going down because of this...

Too many games.

Too many games, because it's not...

Sometimes it's not about the games, but you travel a lot now.

You're playing at 9 o'clock, so you can go to the bed like 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock, and you cannot sleep till 12 o'clock.

No, just few hours, and you don't have enough days, because I see the difference if we're playing that we have only, for example, Wednesday, Saturday, that you have only two days.

But if you're playing Wednesday, Sunday, the one day more, it's the huge difference.

I'm speaking now about the small details, but if you have so many games, that it's impossible to stay on the top or playing on the top every, every game.

It's crazy.

That brings me to a good point of looking after your body, conditioning your body, and the age you're 36 years old now.

What changes have you made in the last few years, maybe, or even recently, to prolong your career and to still be scoring at the rate that you're scoring?

I have to say that I was starting thinking about this, to playing longer on the top level when I was 22 to 23 years old.

Wow.

Yeah.

Because you cannot expect that if you change your nutrition, if you change your food, that you don't see difference after one week, two weeks or one month.

That at that time I say to myself, okay, I take, I take this, why not?

What are you doing? Gymnastics or?

Or different from the physical things, like starting to work on in the, in the gym, that for the nutrition, for the healthy food, and even that after four years, I was thinking that I know a lot.

So that time, for example, my wife came to me, Robbie, Robbie, I have something new, you have to test, you have to try this, because I'm, I'm studying now something new.

And this is like, okay, okay, wait, wait, wait.

We always have to listen to the wife.

No, I say, wait, wait, okay.

But if I see the difference after three or four weeks, okay, we can change it.

So this kind of, always I saw the difference.

I always, I saw that even so many years, I thought that I know a lot, came something new always.

And it's still, still changing.

And it's the same as football.

If I thinking now about the football, the same, like even five years ago,

I will be not in this place, for sure.

Because I know that the football is changing, that you have to adapt.

You cannot compare the football, what's going on, how it's played today, even the five years, not talking about ten years ago.

Because it's completely different.

It's like the players you have different, generation have different, like the mental is different.

So you have to know it.

And I also learned a lot in Barcelona, for example, that I saw the young players, I see them and on the beginning, I was asking myself, I should to tell them that the football sometimes looks different, or maybe I should to take what they have good, what they have really, like the positive things from football to take from my side.

And I learned a lot from them, even that they are 16, 17, 18 years old, but also like this kind of things that sometimes you have to enjoy what you are doing, but find the balance between, you know.

And it helped me a lot also to feel like very confident in this team, this city, because you know, the fans, they are amazing from the first day, and I'm very glad that I can be the part of this amazing club, because I didn't expect that from the first day they support me a lot, and this means for me a lot, even during the games.

But also I want to give them, not only me as a football player on the pitch, but also with my experience, what I saw, what I see in the football, to give also to the club, what or how can this kind of things can work better.

And you look at someone like Lamin Jamal.

Yeah.

20 years difference in a changing room.

How, how, what is that like when you see a kid like this coming in the dressing room?

First time when I saw him on our training session, he was 15, really 15 and from first time in my life I saw someone, because I saw a lot of young talented players, but first time in my life I saw that I have inside this and I was like, wow, who is it? You know, I, I, I, I, I saw the players, oh, he, he has good, this kind of things.

Like Musiala you've seen and these guys.

It's, you know, you know, it's a little bit about Musiala, also he had something, you know, but Lamin, the first time he was like, wow, this guy is like, how is possible in this age?

He is already on this kind of level, you know, and even that he was 16 years old, that was still like, come on, it's impossible to be so good.

So, you know, so clever also in this age.

But I always try to, to give him maybe some kind of advice that from one side it's amazing what he did, what he's doing, but also you have to thinking that soon for him will be the huge challenge to stay on this level or maybe do the next step. And it's not about the next two, three years, is we are talking about next maybe 10 years that he should to be thinking about what he should to do to be on the top like 28, 29, 30 or even longer.

And that I think for him is the biggest challenge of his career.

Do you think your career might have been different if social media was when he was 18?

Probably, yeah.

Yeah.

For sure.

More like this, do you think, or?

It's not only about the social media, but even the new generation, you know, that they are different.

I mean, I don't want to say better or bad.

Oh, we can say, don't worry.

No, no, I mean, that is different because I'm starting to play like with the players that now they are 16 years old, man.

Almost 15, even longer.

Yeah, but it's like, I think that for decades now that I'm playing the football that I'm playing now with the 70 years old players, you know, if you compare.

Yeah, yeah.

So you cannot compare because it's completely different.

But I think now for the new generation that if they want to play football on the high level, playing for the long time, that the social media and also the mentality, I would be very tough.

I think that they will be almost impossible to play more than 10 years in the top level.

You played in the youngest ever side to win the Bundesliga with Dortmund.

And I'm interested, we keep talking about the young players, but what are the differences between playing in a young team and playing in a more experienced team like you probably played with Bayern?

You know, in Dortmund for example, I was also young.

I remember exactly that we were very young team.

We had a lot of young players, maybe two or three more with the experience, but we won two times, you know, the German League and the Cup as well.

We were playing the final of Champions League, so yeah, but we have the club.

So like the coach who knows that has the kids around, a little bit the kindergarten, you know, and he knew how to manage us. And in the end, we know that we were so

hungry, you know, to win something. And he helped us a lot and knew how to take from the players, not 100%, 110 or 20%. And if I think about the players that we are playing at that time, that, you know, that was like over the limit of them. So that's…

Was that Klopp's best strength? Was that his best strength, getting the best out of every player?

He can take from the players the things that, even the players that they don't think that they can play on this kind of level, you know. Of course, it's difficult for the long term, but for the short he could to do because you see that so many players that time when we're playing in the Champions League final, we won, that was the high level of them as well. And yeah, at that time to win the titles two times in a row, like the German, outside the bar, nobody won.

Big achievement. Yeah.

Was he playing heavy metal football as well then? Did he call it heavy metal football?

Yeah, it's like the rock and roll. It's like sometimes in the halftime when we were playing bad, he came and he did like completely, you know, like change of the main character, you know, that he motivated us very, very good because he knew that he has a young team and also the generation was different. I don't think that maybe in the new generation, you have to be different a little bit, you know, the new generation, you have to more take care of them, you know, like 15 years ago, if you've been like more stronger,

that was for me when I was young. Okay, I want more. I don't afraid that someone shout on me, you know, I was more motivated later and now I'm not sure that the young players are ready for this kind of shouting from the coach. Yeah, because it's like, but it's not about football, it's generally in the world, you know, you have to be more like more nice, you know, and I don't think that the young players now like if someone shouting on them, it's like, you know, but not only in the football. Yeah, yeah, but generally in the world, the life looks like that. So you have to also change that. Sometimes I'm from this

generation for me was like very motivated someone shouting on us, you know, and now it's like you have to find the balance. It's not, I'm not, I don't want to say that you cannot speak loud or, you know, speaking more strongly. No, no, but sometimes you cannot always shouting like sometimes before was, you know, I remember exactly that the players before the game, more defender, so it was like that, come on, you're going for the game, you're fighting here, we're doing, but the first minutes that you couldn't control the ball because you were so motivated, but over motivated. Now, after so many years, I learned also that it's not important what you're

talking about before the game because you already had the time to prepare for this game. Now it's just to repeat the things that sometimes are very easy, very clear, but repeat, but most important is that you with your feet can control the ball, not only run like, you know, 15 years ago. So this

is the huge difference. Just to go back to Klopp, because he really interests me in his character.

Like what, what, is there any specifics about how he gets the best out of players? Like, give me some examples where you remember where he's done something.

After the Champions League that we lost one game, I think that was away game and we were in the hotel and that was my second year in, in, in Dortmund. And that time I started to speak German, but not so influenced that I could understand everything, you know, I feel that I don't know what he wants from me, what he expects from me. I have to talk with him because, you know, also I lost my father when I was 16 years old and in my life I didn't have someone who I could always speaking about, you know, my problems or my things. So I was the guy that time very close, you know,

and, and I knew it when I go to him, speak with him, maybe I feel better. You know, we were speaking like one half hour, you know, even, even that sometimes I didn't understand him because he was speaking German and I tried to, and I, I said, yeah, I understand everything.

That was, you know, the conversation that he talked to me. Sometimes I talked to him, but, you know, that time I didn't understand him. Everything was he talking to me. But after this conversation was, it was important that about what we are talking for me was more important that he talked to me that way that for me was like, I was speaking with my father, you know, maybe because of my private situation or like emotion that I needed that time something like this kind of conversation. But when we, um, coming back to Dortmund and on Saturday,

we were playing in the Bundesliga and after two, two days, I think what you can change in two days, we went, we were one 4-0. I scored hat-trick and, and make the asses. So in the end, you know, this kind of conversation make open something what I had inside. Sometimes you need somebody to unlock it.

Exactly. And you know, it's because I am maybe this kind of guys that, um, I needed that time conversation.

I, I, I saw in my, the way on the career, always the conversation make me more, you know, more confidence that I am more, I can support someone even more, you know, it's maybe because of my situation that I had in my life. I don't know. Um, but that time I remember exactly that this

conversation changed my career. It's interesting you said it because my, my children lost their mother, um, three of them. And, and I, I worry about them talking and communicating. So it's interesting to see that you, you, you reached out for somebody, maybe separate from your mom, outside a manager, a coach, and you had the confidence to do that. It's important. But I have to say, I didn't have

the confidence to do that, but I knew it that I have to do, even that I don't feel this confidence, because now it's completely different. I learned, you know, that to broke my, you know, not comfort zone, but broke my habit, exactly. And, uh, you know, when you are 16 years old, you lost your father from one day to, to the next day that I will also very, very know that very sad for me. And, um, one years later, I, uh, my contract was finished and I didn't know when I going to play. So I was

in there, like the time, the way that, like what I can do, I have to wait to say, okay, enough with the football or to say goodbye, go to the college to, uh, you know, to, to start to study all the second way. I said, no, it doesn't matter what's happened. It doesn't matter what they say about me.

And you actually was thinking about going, you might have to go to study. It was like this kind

of two way, you know, I didn't starting to think maybe on two seconds. Yeah. But I didn't know this way. It's not for me. I, I cannot, I never give up. Yeah. It's tough. And maybe that's why I was very close as a human, as a, as a person. But in the end, this kind of step that I did with the club make me more stronger and I'm starting to learn. Okay. If this conversation helped me, I have to try again.

Even that still is difficult to do the first step with someone you need to come to, to speak with them. But I'm trying even that from, from my, you know, for me was difficult, but I knew it for the

long way that can help me. Brilliant. What would you say is your biggest achievement in football so

far? I was playing in the era of Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi. And of course I can, I can talk about the, the, the, the success of the team, like the champions league, like in the one season we, we won like everything, everything. I think the second team in the history and I was the part and I was goal scoring in every, each of the, I think the competition. So, you know, it's like top goals, top goals, top scores go. And I scored also, I don't know, in one season 69 goals. It's like, you know,

it's like, it's difficult because for me, like, yeah, like I scored five goals in nine minutes, for example. And till now I cannot explain how I did this. Did you feel invincible though at this

time? Because this time you're the best player in the world, arguably the best player in the world, right? So it's Leo Messi, Cristiano or you. Was you going on the pitch and thinking, nobody can touch me, nobody can stop me? You know, sometimes you have this kind of feeling that you

are only some people have that. Yeah. But from the another way or another side, you have to, you have to stay on the ground, you know, you cannot thinking that you are like superhero and everything. Now you can, wherever you want, that will be good. Now you have, I was always trying to be on the ground. If I think about like, I finished that five goals, five goals, nine minutes after the game, I didn't realize that I scored this. And I remember that Thomas Murray pushed me to the fence to celebrate it. Why? Well, okay. I scored the goal, but this, we won the important game.

But, and when, when I first, when I came to back to the home, that everyone was family, my friends was on this game and they were so happy. I was like, okay, yeah, I scored five goals.

It's amazing, but nine minutes. Okay. But what does it mean? I didn't know.

And I asked my wife, can you do pancakes for me, please? And I was like, oh, wow. And first time, I know, first time when I understood what I did was the Christmas time when I sit on the table with my family. And I think that was first time that I was more calm, you know, more like relaxed.

And that was like, okay, now understood. Because you know why? Because after this game, we played every two, three days or, you know, we had Bundesliga, Champions League and Bundesliga.

And in this three games, I scored 12 goals, something like that. And I don't remember the next one.

Because that time that for me, that wasn't important that the game already was over.

For me after the game, I'm starting preparation for the next game.

So you can't enjoy it? No, no. Because I know that I can enjoy later, you know.

If I start thinking too much about this, that will be for my mentality more weak, you know, because it's normal if you read so many good things about you, your mentality is going down.

You cannot, I remember I turned off the phone, I turned off, I didn't use the intern, nothing.

Because I know if I started to read this kind of things, even that I'm brilliant about me, everything, you know. I would be reading everything. No, but I know that for me is the better way.

Yeah, I agree. Because maybe later I can come back to the situation and read or see this, like what's happened. But I was with my mentality, I build, I try to build my mentality so strong that it doesn't matter if it's going well or sometimes going bad, but my mentality is or will be

ready for everything. And talking about how kind of invincible you was and how driven you was, how many goals you were scoring. I think it's like

50, 55 goals in that season in the COVID year. COVID took away this man's Ballon d'Or.

How do you feel about that? Seriously, that's one of the main things I want to speak to you about

when I was on the way here to see you. At that time, I didn't understand why, because every league was playing, Champions League was playing. And that was like for me, whoa, why?

I know how football works sometimes, politics also, because if you have football, you have business, if you have business, you have politics and everything working, money in the end, of course.

To just stop you as well, because I've got some stats here as well to even just enhance what you're saying. For people that maybe don't know the detail and can't think back, but you look at this and at the time of recording this podcast right now, you've outscored both Haaland and Mbappe since you all became active in the Champions League, yeah? You now share the record of the highest scoring average of 0.79 goals per game in European competition with Lionel Messi.

So we're talking about standards that are just like crazy. And to think that you didn't win a Ballon d'Or in that time, I can't think of any, only Thierry Henry is the only other player that I look at and go, he should have won a Ballon d'Or and he didn't win it. You're the other one. And it's only because of Covid. We've got to start a petition to get you the medal. Would you take it now, after they give it back, if they give it to you? Of course he is. And you've done it with your football after that again.

You outscored everybody. I think Messi, when he won it, he got 38 goals, you got 46 goals that year.

And you look at it and you go, you must be sitting there thinking, what do I have to do, man?

You know, in the different than you, I was trying to compare with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo

in my career, you know, so… Did you kind of need them and use them as inspiration?

I use them, yeah. I use them for sure to, not only inspiration, but to try… To drive yourself.

Not to beat them, but to beat some kind of records, goals, the level that I achieve. Of course, I didn't want to compare with Lionel Messi and Cristiano, never as a football player, because of course they are on a different level, different words. But I'm very happy that I was like some years behind already behind them or like even in some years that I could beat them, you know, like the best player in the world in two years in a row and against them, you know. So for me,

I think that I never dream about this to be like Lewandowski, Messi and Ronaldo, who's going to win the FIFA best player in the world, you know. I was there and I won.

That was good, man. I wasn't there.

But let's finish with, we always talk to the guys about their five-a-side team. You've played with some magnificent players over the years. If you could pick a five-a-side team with the best players you've played with, no goalkeepers, goalkeepers don't make the cut, which five players would they be? Who are the best ones? We don't miss David Beckham. At the moment, he has the best team. Oh, it's crazy.

Okay. Okay. Well, okay. Ribéry.

Ooh, Ribéry. What was good? Tell me about Ribéry. What was so good?

His prime was amazing. He never liked to score the goals. He never liked to score the goals. He liked more play-pass. Even that he dribbled like eight players, he has like the empty goal to just score the goal. No, he passed. Why you don't like to score the goal? This is illegal in your life.

In your life, this never happened. No, it happened. Not once. Sometimes, yeah. But of course, if I dribble eight days, I have empty goals, of course, that is cold. But he was like, he was amazing. Also, the guy amazing, like the players, you know, and yeah, he was so fast with the ball, dribbling.

Frank Ribéry was like one of the greatest players in the history. I have, how many defenders I have?

What do you want? You can have all attack. I don't care. Whatever you want.

Whoa. Your team might get beat, but... Alaba.

Ooh, I didn't think Alaba. Wow, I'm surprised. Alaba, yeah. Top? Yeah, top, top.

In the fashion stakes is very good as well, huh? Yeah. Good fashion.

I can find better one now, you know, in my team. Oh, yeah. Kunde. Ooh, this is unbelievable.

Yeah. Do you kill him sometimes? He was at the catwalk the other day with the cream.

That wasn't so, you know, the heist, you know, the suit from him, but yeah, he is like, he loved this.

Yeah. Sometimes, you know, it's like from the beginning was like a little bit strange, but later you will see so many times that you... I like to see it. I like to see it. Yeah, exactly.

Well, I remember one conversation with Alex Ferguson, you know, for example, that was 2012.

You almost signed for United. You were playing that time? You almost signed for United.

I decided to join to Manchester United. What year, what year? 2012. I was there. Yeah.

I remember the conversation that was in the before preseason, we playing some games. I was, I knew that he's going to call to me. And at half time, I was stopped off because I knew that I was playing 45 minutes. I had the call. And that time, you know, my English, you know, that was on a different level. And even, especially if I'm going to speak with this guy of guy, that's Alex Ferguson calling to me. And I'm calling to him now. Were you nervous?

Oh, very. And then, you know, and the big, okay, he's going to speak easy English, yeah?

And he called, hello, my name is Robert Lewandowski. Yeah, hi, hi.

And you know, this accent, Scottish accent and... Yes, yes, of course, I knew it, what I should to tell him, you know. Yeah, of course, I want to join to Manchester United.

Can you repeat it again? Yes, yes, of course, of course. So why didn't you sign, man?

Ask the club, you know. No, I remember that time... The wages.

No, I remember also the conversation with the president of Dortmund. He said to me, they need him and they're not going to sell me to Manchester United because I'm so important for them and it's not time, not enough. It's not the perfect time now, so yeah. But that time I say yes, yeah, that's true. I said yes to join Manchester United because if Alex Ferguson calls you, you cannot say... No.

No, you know, especially when I was 22 or 23 years old and, you know, that time for, I was playing for Dortmund, even I'm, you know, I was happy about Manchester United and like the prime of Manchester United, you know. What a team we would have had, man. Jesus.

Right, give me three more players. Go on.

Okay, some defender. Ribéry, Aloua.

Shabby Alonso. Oh, great player. Shabby Alonso. Yeah, I can say also Arjen Robben. Oh, Batman and Robben. Yeah. Ribéry and Robben again, back together again.

Even he didn't like to play pass, you know. He's selfish, yeah. Yeah. Everyone knows that he goes on the left foot. Everyone knows, everyone. You already to be there. And also, Arjen was this kind of place that before the training session, he already did the training session in the gym. Yeah. But sometimes he was so wet. He was, I don't know, one hour and I go, why you are doing this if we have, we are already after the game before the next game?

And I was so, you know, so confused. I remember one situation that Pep in 65 minutes take him off of the pitch and he was, I know, because how he was playing and, you know, and the next day, even that 65 minutes that you need like some era generation training the next game. No, he was on the pitch. He was trained so hard that I was, okay, I understand because I like also sometimes working hard, but this way was like, Arjen, you notice too much? Yeah, yeah, but I'm not doing this for my legs.

So yeah, I have to do for my head. Yeah, but in the end, maybe you got injured. Yeah, yeah, but I cannot to find a different way. And you know, it's like, Arjen, come on.

These are kind of players on this level. And sometimes, you know, he, he do this because of the emotion. I think that he had insight and he couldn't believe or he couldn't accept that he play bad, you know. So next day he was, but every, every training session, even that we were already after the hard training session, the next day was more calm. No, he was already in the gym, prepared for the next, you know, for the next training session.

bloody hell. Okay. So last player, last player. For sure, I forgot about someone.

Oh, Bastian Schweinsteiger also. What? Okay. I have Fabio Alonso, so more forward, some forward.

Yeah, Thomas Miller, because I love playing with him.

Musiala, does he get in there? Yeah, but I was playing with him a few years. He was very young.

You know, it's like, I tried to find someone who was playing a few years, like, you know, of course, Musiala is like, of course, he's amazing and he has brilliant future. But I tried to find some, someone, you know, players with them.

Yeah, Lam, but you know, Lam, Fabio Alonso, Basel Schweinsteig, Thiago Tancantara.

Prime of Boateng. Prime of Boateng. He had, he had everything, you know, because he was strong, left foot, right foot with the ball amazing. He was also fast, but this guy, this prime was, I was very impressed that they won also World Cup. Boateng, yeah, the prime of Boateng was, was, was for me, like, amazing. So Boateng is in? Yeah, okay.

Okay, so your team is Ribery, Alaba, Xabi Alonso, Robin. Philipp Lam, you have also? No, no.

Ah. Boateng or Philipp Lam?

Oof, oof, oof, oof, oof. But without kind of system, yeah, we're playing just…

Play anywhere, free football. Free football. Okay, Philipp Lam.

Listen, I like that team, Philipp Lam. Right, Ribery, Alaba, Alonso, Robin, Lam.

Yeah, I forgot, for sure I forgot about someone. Yeah, but this doesn't matter.

After five minutes, I came to you back and I forgot about it. Send me a DM, DM me. Okay,

okay, I'll send you, yeah. Listen, man, Robert, really appreciate your time. Thank you very much. Fantastic talking to you. Thank you.