Lewandowski emotionally says goodbye to an impregnable Camp Nou

BarcelonaWhen Robert Lewandowski announced on Saturday that he would leave Barça, he explained that he had found his corner of the world in Catalonia. Not everyone finds it. He has found it near the sea and Barcelona. And thousands of Barça fans returned this appreciation by bidding him farewell as they should have in a Spotify Camp Nou that was moved when, five minutes from the end, he left the pitch crying. His teammates rallied around him, hugging him, in a memorable image. Only his goal against Betis in the last match of the season was missing in a stadium where only victories have been seen (3-1).

The last match will be remembered for the farewell of an eternal goalscorer. A stadium where both Polish and Catalan were spoken, in the stands. Hundreds of Poles paid whatever it took to get a ticket and to be in the stadium on the day a forward was honored, who arrived four years ago to a Barça that then had low morale and needed to dream again. And Joan Laporta managed to seduce one of the best goalscorers of the 21st century to be the one to lift morale. A signing of the kind that changes the course of a club's history. Lewandowski believed in this Barça. And now he leaves a reborn club where, except for the Champions League, he has won everything. The Pole has seen Lamine Yamal debut and grow, he has experienced the return to Camp Nou, and he leaves a Barça that now has high self-esteem. Nothing like the one from 2022.

In Lewandowski's farewell party, only the Pole's goal was missing. Betis was not the kind of guest that makes things easy, although there was never the feeling of being able to take a point home. Despite his teammates looking for him, Hansi Flick's team could not offer the Pole the goal he was looking for. It would have been his last at home, in a stadium where he has been admired and revered. For once, it doesn't always happen, Barça knew how to bid farewell to a man who deserved a tribute for all he has done. A striker who symbolizes rebirth, who connects Messi with Lamine Yamal. Playing as a starter, he didn't quite get chances in a very strong Barça, unlike in Vitoria. Joan Garcia returned to the starting lineup and the midfield held its own with Pedri, Bernal, and a Gavi who is enjoying playing more and more. De Jong? He wasn't there; it seems he prioritizes the World Cup. Flick did not have Ferran Torres, a last-minute absence, but he saw that Raphinha is finishing the season in good form, much to the joy of Carlo Ancelotti, the Brazilian national team coach. The first goal was his, with a free-kick in almost the same spot where Marcus Rashford had scored against Madrid a few days prior. The Brazilian fooled Betis' goalkeeper, catching him off guard to put a Barça ahead that already knew it couldn't reach 100 points after falling in Vitoria, but could still achieve a feat: winning absolutely all home games this season, something that had never happened before. Not bad, especially since this has been the season of the three stadiums: it started at Montjuïc, Getafe was received at the Johan Cruyff stadium in September, and finally, they returned to the Spotify Camp Nou in a match where the first goal was scored, of course, by Lewandowski.

But against Betis he could not score the last of the 119 goals, which had been waiting since the last away game, at Mestalla. The context did not help either, as after Raphinha's goal, Betis did not go crazy trying to equalize either. The game was losing rhythm, as players like Pedri, deep down, know that there is no need to push hard when everything is already decided and in a few weeks he will play in a World Cup. This frustrated Lewandowski, who went up and down, trying to offer himself to his teammates.

Raphinha, goal scorer

Luck was not on his side. Unlike Raphinha, who just before being substituted in the 62nd minute received a gift from Bellerín. The Betis player from Maresme made a mistake by handing the ball to the Brazilian, who out of the corner of his eye saw where Lewandowski was, just in case. But he saw that he had to shoot to score a goal that did not seal the match, as shortly after the referee, with the help of VAR, blew for a very difficult-to-see penalty on Isco, which the same player from Malaga converted.

But Barça did not let themselves be surprised. They wanted one last triumph at home and they got it. What few people expected was that instead of Lewandowski, the third goal would be scored by the wild Cancelo, who has been gaining prominence in this Barça that has made Spotify Camp Nou an impregnable temple. A stadium where Lewandowski has been happy, although he could not return the affection to the fans with the goal everyone wanted. But the only shot he had went wide. And Flick preferred to substitute him with five minutes left, so he could receive a beautiful ovation, while he could not hold back the tears. All his teammates hugged him, forming a tight-knit group, accompanying a man who understood that a very happy era of his life was ending. And of the lives of many other people, of course.