New Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski said farewell to his former Bayern Munich teammates and club staff during a brief visit to the Bundesliga champions’ headquarters on Tuesday, despite his rocky departure from the club.
The Poland forward, who scored 344 goals for Bayern in 375 games during his eight years in Germany, joined Barca in a deal worth €45 million last month after forcing a move away.
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Lewandowski and Bayern bosses have publicly criticized each other over the transfer, with the striker saying there had been a lot of “politics” from Bayern who he said were “trying to find an argument” to sell him.
Bayern in turn said the situation had been caused by the player who asked to leave despite having a contract to 2023.
Danke für die letzten 8 Jahre! Und alles Gute für die Zukunft, Lewy! pic.twitter.com/NLFb0vcpht
— FC Bayern München (@FCBayern) August 2, 2022
“Everything is fine,” Lewandowski told Sky television from his car before driving away from the club offices. “I met everyone and thanked them. I will never forget what I received here and what I experienced.
“That is the most important thing for me. Last week was a bit complicated but sometimes this is part of football.”
Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic spoke with Lewandowski during his brief visit and they cleared the air.
“Robert came into my office to say goodbye and we talked for 15 minutes,” he said in a club statement.
“I addressed everything and we cleared everything. Robert did great things for Bayern and that’s what should remain. He knows as well what he has to thank Bayern for.”
Lewandowski won almost every domestic and international club honor with Bayern, including eight Bundesliga titles, three German Cups, the Champions League and the Club World Cup.
He is the Bundesliga’s second highest all-time scorer behind the late Gerd Muller.
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