SportNite MAGAZINE

Lewandowski Baby
Interview

We spoke to our Polish striker after him and his wife welcomed their baby

Sport

Life

Family

Not free of criticism

"I have experienced this over so many years and have grown a thicker skin, and it gets thicker and thicker. I have learned how to deal and live with it... Sometimes it hurts but you have to handle it," Lewandowski said.He is right, but only partially. The season before last he scored in the three knockout games he played in, but otherwise his form is relatively patchy in knockout matches. In his career, Lewandowski has scored 19 in 33 Champions League knockout games. Include the group stages and that tally jumps to 53 goals in 80 games.

Tell us the secret of the Lewandowski diet?

There's no secret behind it. It's all a question of what I eat and when to make sure I always feel my best.

The crosses and passes from wingers like Douglas Costa and the long balls from Jerome Boateng certainly help too, though?

The more passes and crosses that you get, the greater the chances of you scoring.

And how did you hand out the presents?

When we sat together at the table in the evening the presents were already under the tree. Then we ate, taking our time. We children had to be patient. (chuckling) At some point our parents would say: Now! Then we all sat down on the sofa, and we kids started.

World Cup Fiver

That trick, however, does not work all the time. The Pole, after all, is the Bundesliga’s highest earner and the league’s star name. Deep down, however, the money and the fame is not that important to him.A group of advisers runs his businesses, but it is always Lewandowski who has the final say. There have been times when important documents have needed signing and a helicopter has landed at the national team training camp in Arlamow, just so Lewandowski can close a deal.“I can afford anything,” he admits. “But I’m in a moment where I appreciate a different capital: love and happiness. I have a beautiful family. My daughter just turned one. She made me even more stabilised. I can say I’m a fulfilled person in life but in terms of football I’m still hungry. I think it is very important to be happy in life and a lot of people have the opposite. A lot of money doesn’t guarantee happiness and it can actually make you lonely, without support and motivation. There are intangible things that make you strong.”

What are your childhood memories of Christmas?

It was always a time when everybody got together in a festive mood. My mother always prepared 12 dishes, a tradition in Poland. Soup, meat, fish, dessert... however, I didn't eat much when I was a boy.

It's safe to assume that there are no food sins involved – like sweets, for instance?

You might be surprised to find this out, but sweets were a big problem for me when I was younger. It didn't matter what it was, I couldn't walk past it without buying it. Now I've cut sweets out. It actually took me several years to get to this point. Now I don't really like sweets anymore.

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