FC Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski once revealed a unique incident with Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp. Lewandowski, one of the best strikers of this generation, has played for some of the biggest soccer clubs like FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund. However, Lewandowski explained how his career took after a particular conversation with Klopp.
Robert Lewandowski had joined Borussia Dortmund back in 2010 after leaving Lench Poznan. He explained how he struggled to adapt to his new club. Moreover, he also found it difficult to get used to the weather in Germany. It was at this point that Klopp, who was the head coach of Dortmund during that time, came to Lewandowski’s aid.
Lewandowski: “I once made a bet with Jürgen Klopp. It was 2010 and I had been at Borussia Dortmund for a few months. Honestly, it was very hard. When I arrived, I barely spoke a word in German. The weather was gray and rainy and with Klopp the intensity in the training was very… pic.twitter.com/iyjwyKKv2t
— Barça Universal (@BarcaUniversal) November 24, 2023
Lewandowski revealed that Klopp had made a bet with him to improve his performance. He said, “I once made a bet with Jürgen Klopp. He told me: ‘For every training that you score 10 goals I will give you 50 euros, but if you don’t score them, you will pay me.’” The FC Barcelona star stated that he struggled for the first few weeks and had to pay Klopp his due nearly every day.
However, with time, Lewandowski improved his performance which ultimately turned the tables. The bet helped Lewandowski find his form and he even went on to score a hat trick that season against Ausburg. He also admitted that he could talk about almost anything with his former boss, who used to be a father figure for him.
Jurgen Klopp admitted that Robert Lewandowski is the best player he’s worked with
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp also has a lot of respect and admiration for Robert Lewandowski. During an interview, with SportBild, Klopp was asked by the German soccer legend Lothar Matthaus to name the best player he’s ever worked with. Without any hesitation, Klopp named his former star- Robert Lewandowski.
Jurgen Klopp chose Lewandowski when he was asked to pick the best player he has ever managed. pic.twitter.com/iiAlTrAOL4
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 17, 2021
The Liverpool boss said, “It would actually be unfair to say that about any other player than Lewy.” Klopp also commended the Polish striker for using his potential to become the player that he is today. During their time together, Klopp and Lewandowski had a lot of success with Dortmund. The pair had won two Bundesliga titles and a DFB Cup.
They also reached the UEFA Champions League final in 2013 but lost against Bayern Munich. Lewandowski was the star player during Klopp’s time in charge of the Black-Yellows. He scored 103 goals in 187 appearances for Dortmund before eventually leaving them for Bayern Munich in 2014.