Sstriker star Robert Lewandowski looks back particularly fondly on a time in Munich. “While Hansi (Flick) was the coach in Munich, I had my best time at Bayern. We won everything, I was able to fulfill my dream of the Champions League. It was a great, great time,” said the 34-year-old exceptional striker, who switched to FC Barcelona in 2022 after eight years with the German record champions, the “Sport-Bild”.
According to him, Flick’s successor Julian Nagelsmann played no role in his previously unpleasant departure to the Catalans. If he had stayed longer in Munich, he probably would have lost his passion for football. “Of course I would have continued to work, but more because it was a duty than a pleasure. I didn’t want that feeling, it wouldn’t have been good for the club and me,” said the two-time world footballer from Poland.
The separation from Nagelsmann now was a “surprise” and successor Thomas Tuchel was a “super coach” who could give Bayern his “own signature”: “Tuchel can bring Bayern many titles, this season as well as in the future. As long as the team continues to develop, there will be no reason for criticism.” The interview was conducted before the end of the DFB Cup against SC Freiburg on Tuesday evening. But you saw Flicks as an example: “Everything was great with him, we showed top performances and won titles – and in the end he was gone too. From my point of view, that was a bit strange, difficult to understand. But that’s the business, I’m just a part of it.”
“No way, Robert”
But Jürgen Klopp drove him the most during his time at Borussia Dortmund. In September 2011, after losing the Champions League game at Olympique Marseille, he talked to Klopp for an hour and a half at night, but didn’t understand everything because he didn’t speak German very well: “But: I felt as if I was a father figure sat. That night Jürgen Klopp became my surrogate dad.”
He also advised him to work on his facial expressions and allow emotions. “After the death of my father, I became emotionless and cold on the outside. I didn’t want to allow any weakness in my face, no emotion, positive or negative. I thought showing emotion means you’re a weak person,” said the father-of-two.
But it was also Klopp who prevented the then 22-year-old Lewandowski from moving to Manchester United. United legend Alex Ferguson called the Pole and wanted to lure him to England. “I spoke to Aki Watzke and Jürgen Klopp at the training camp. I wanted to go to Man United! But they said: “No chance, Robert. We need you. You have to stay.”