Even with their highly strained finances, FC Barcelona have been able to sign some of the best players in the world in the last few years. This year, they signed Ilkay Gundogan for free, while last year, they got Robert Lewandowski for €45 million from Bayern Munich.
The Polish striker has been playing at the top level for several years now, and his experience allows him to view things on and off the pitch with a perspective that few other footballers have.
The striker himself highlighted this aspect in a recent interview which has been reported by SPORT. Regarding his experience, the Pole commented:
“During these four or five years, I have changed, and I have a different view on certain matters. The path you take in life teaches you many things. These are things you don’t learn from books.”
With such experience to back him, anything the veteran says has an added value and importance. Thus, his praise for the young and talented Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi will be even more sweet, which he came up with in the same interview:
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a center-back, especially at that age, breaking lines with such ball distribution and composure. He is a great person.”
In addition to Cubarsi, Lewandowski also had high hopes from another Barcelona youngster, Fermin Lopez: “He’s a guy who likes to work a lot and can progress.”
Despite these high hopes from these youngsters, Lewandowski also warned of the difficulties they will face in the changed social environment:
“The people around them must be prepared for whatever may happen if things don’t go well… It’s another generation, there’s Instagram, and social media, and it’s more difficult. And they won’t be able to escape it, to stay between four walls. It’s the challenge of football.”
“[Lewandowski doubts] If these players will be mentally able to endure ten, twelve, or more years. The pressure is enormous, and few people will be able to face it.”
These words from the Barcelona striker can certainly be valuable for youngsters like Cubarsi and Lopez. While his praise will push them to work harder, his comments about the impact of social media will also help them become more wary of the impacts it can have on them, and thus navigate their careers in a way that minimizes these negative impacts.
