Don't let anyone question Lewandowski's prowess as outdated. In the 33rd round of La Liga in the early morning of April 30 (Beijing time), the Polish striker scored a hat-trick in Barcelona's 4-2 victory over Valencia, once again proving that he is not old.
Lewandowski shone in this match at the Stadio Luis Comples in Barcelona's Olympic Games. Previously, Lewandowski had already announced in an interview with Bild that he would continue to play for Barcelona next season. "It's not feasible to leave Barcelona this summer. This is not the issue at hand. Lewandowski said.
"At the moment, I feel in good shape. From today, I think I can still play at the top of my game for two years. When my stamina is no longer at its best, I think about leaving. The 35-year-old added.
Immediately after, the former Bayern Munich star scored a hat-trick to help the home team beat the "Bat Army". The three points not only helped the Catalan giants reclaim second place in La Liga from Girona FC, although they are still 11 points behind Real Madrid at the top of the table.
As for Lewandowski, his hat-trick against Valencia was undoubtedly a powerful response to those who doubted him, and even to Barcelona themselves. Recently, the Spanish media have been debating whether Barcelona want to keep the Polish striker next season, as some believe that he is no longer suitable for the team.
The basis for this skepticism is that Lewandowski's goal tally has dropped in 2023/24. Counting the hat-trick against Valencia, the Polish striker has scored just 16 goals in La Liga.
However, Barcelona should perhaps reassess Lewandowski's value. First of all, the Polish striker is entering the latter stages of his career and it is a real challenge to ask him to score consistently. Secondly, the club's financial situation is not optimistic, and they will face many difficulties if they want to bring in another world-class striker.
The above two factors alone will be enough to force Barcelona to keep Lewandowski next season. According to Bild, the former Bayern Munich star has also expressed his willingness to continue playing for the club. It is worth mentioning that during the winter transfer window, Lewandowski received several offers from outside Spain, but he chose to decline them all.
Back at the game, Valencia caused Barcelona a lot of problems. Before the end of the first half, they led the home side 2-1 thanks to goals from Hugo Duro and Pepelou. According to the assessment of Le Monde Sport, the poor performance of Barca's backline led to the goal conceded.
Savior Lewandowski
But after the start of the second half, Lewandowski took over the game. The Polish striker made the most of his chances and turned his threat into a goal.
In the 90+3rd minute of the game, Barcelona were awarded a direct free-kick opportunity. Lewandowski confidently stepped forward to talk to Ferran Torres and motioned for him to give the ball to himself. In the end, the Polish striker helped the Catalan side to a 4-2 victory thanks to a brilliant free-kick.
Lewandowski's hat-trick in the 33rd round of La Liga saw him rejoin the race for top scorer. Currently, the 35-year-old striker is just three goals behind Artem Dowbek, who is at the top of the scorers' charts.