Robert Lewandowski: I hope to play with Leo Messi next season

Robert Lewandowski: I hope to play with Leo Messi next season

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The Polish striker wants the Argentine playmaker to return to Camp Nou

Robert Lewandowski appeared at the Auditori de CaixaBank Barcelona, on the occasion of the presentation of the 18th edition of the book 'Relatos Solidarios del Deporte', of which he is this year's 'godfather', taking over from the likes of Pep Guardiola, Carles Puyol, Samuel Eto'o, Gerard Piqué and Marc-André ter Stegen.

The FC Barcelona striker has been clear in his words and has opened the door wide for Leo Messi to return to the Camp Nou Spotify. "For me, Messi will always be part of Barça. If he comes back, not only for the fans, but also for the players, it would be amazing. His place is here, in Barcelona. I don't know what's going to happen, I'm not the person to ask, but I hope we can play together next season, we need this type of player, for sure", he explained to reporters.

On the first season of the new sporting project, Lewandowski explained: "You can't change everything from one day to the next. In the first season, maybe we can't be perfect every game. There are a lot of new players, we've been unlucky with injuries, especially in the most important games, like the Champions League or against Madrid in the Copa. That makes everything more difficult". However, he added: "We have to be patient and I'm sure that the following weeks and next season will be much better".

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

As for his personal level as a footballer, he commented that "I'm never happy with the goals I score. Maybe now I score less than before, it's not just because of me, we are a team. In the last few weeks, we haven't played well and I hope we improve". He himself has recognised that the World Cup break has not benefited him: "It has been difficult, not only for me, but also for other players and I don't know why exactly, it's something new". His self-demand is high: "If I don't score in one or two games, I'm not happy", given that "we're at Barça and it's not just enough to win, but how we win and the goals we score".

Finally, he also referred to the points gap (13) with Real Madrid, with ten games left to play in La Liga. "We haven't won La Liga in the last three years and now we're on the right track. For the youngsters and for me it's very important, it would be our first big title. Now we are focused on the league, there are a lot of points left to win. We have to play well, score goals and make the fans happy, but we also have to start thinking about next season."

He also revealed that yesterday against Girona he was not in optimal condition due to a blow he suffered from Militao in the spine during the second leg of the Cup semi-final against Real Madrid. "Yesterday, when I woke up, I couldn't even walk. I treated myself and played with a special belt because I didn't want to let the team down. I wasn't 100 per cent and it's logical that my performance wasn't brilliant."

The book initiative 'Relatos Solidarios del Deporte' is a non-profit project that brings together different sports journalists in the country to write stories about sport, whether real or fictitious. The funds raised will go to the Lovaas Foundation for autism and it is hoped that more than one million euros will be donated.

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