Lewandowski Backs Rodri's Move to Barcelona

Robert Lewandowski has given Barcelona’s move for Rodri his full backing, describing the Spain midfielder as exactly the kind of figure the dressing room needed after his own departure.

The Polish striker left Camp Nou for Chicago Fire in MLS this summer, stripping Hansi Flick’s squad of one of its most experienced voices. That gap in leadership weighed heavily on the new Barça coach, who pushed hard for Rodri as the man to take on that responsibility in the heart of midfield.

Speaking to Radio Marca, Lewandowski laid out why he believes his former club have nailed this signing.

“He’s a player who knows what the team needs, how to play going forward, but also how to contribute a little more in defence,” Lewandowski said. “He's the kind of experienced player I think this team needs. He’s a player who has been performing at the highest level not just at the World Cup, but for many years now.”

Rodri arrives as a World Cup winner and a proven leader at international level, the sort of calming presence and tactical reference point Barcelona have been searching for since Lewandowski’s exit. For Flick, the former Man City midfielder is not just a pivot; he is a pillar.

The interview also gave Lewandowski a chance to look back on his own Barcelona chapter. He joined the club from Bayern Munich in 2022 and immediately became the spearhead of a new era, stacking up trophies and goals in a spell that, on paper, looks almost perfect.

“It was a very special four years for me in Barcelona,” he reflected. During that time, he collected three La Liga titles and the Pichichi trophy as the league’s top scorer, underlining his dominance in Spain. “But there comes a time when you have to try something different and take a new step, and I’m very happy now.”

That “new step” has taken him far from European football’s traditional centres. Chicago is a long way from Camp Nou in every sense. Different culture, different league, different rhythm.

Lewandowski is under no illusions about the scale of the adjustment.

“It’s normal [to need time], not only because I’m leaving Europe, but also because I’m moving to the United States,” he admitted, acknowledging the challenge of adapting both on and off the pitch as he settles into life in MLS.

Yet even as he embraces that change, his eyes remain fixed on Barcelona. The bond, he insists, has not been broken by distance or by a new shirt.

“I’m not a very emotional person, I’m more cold-hearted, but this is a moment when I’ll always be there to support and help FC Barcelona and my former team-mates,” he said. “I’m watching what’s happening now and I’m sure they’re going to win a lot of games.”

That confidence now rests heavily on Rodri’s shoulders. Barcelona see him as the new anchor, the organiser, the one to set the tempo and standards in a team still chasing stability after a turbulent few seasons.

If Lewandowski’s prediction is right and the Spaniard slips seamlessly into that role, the question in Catalonia will not be whether they replaced their former No 9’s goals. It will be whether Rodri’s presence can drive them to an era of dominance that even Lewandowski, in all his success there, only glimpsed.