Lewandowski Praises Rodri as Barcelona’s New Leader

Robert Lewandowski might be thousands of miles from Camp Nou, but his eye for what Barcelona need has not dimmed with distance.

Now leading the line for Chicago Fire in MLS, the Polish striker has given an emphatic seal of approval to Barça’s decision to bring Spanish World Cup winner Rodri to Catalonia, describing the midfielder as exactly the kind of figure Hansi Flick’s new-look side requires.

Filling a void in Flick’s dressing room

Lewandowski’s departure left more than a gap in the goals column. It stripped Flick’s dressing room of one of its most authoritative voices. The German coach, acutely aware of that loss, pushed hard for Rodri, identifying the former Manchester City lynchpin as the man to assume responsibility in a squad still balancing youth with expectation.

Speaking to Radio Marca, Lewandowski laid out why the move makes so much sense from a player’s perspective. He pointed to Rodri’s tactical clarity and his reliability when the pressure spikes on the biggest stages.

“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.”

For a club that has leaned heavily on emerging talent in recent seasons, Rodri brings something different: a fully formed reference point in midfield, a player used to dictating tempo and absorbing responsibility when games begin to fray.

A glittering spell in Barcelona, then a new step

The interview also gave Lewandowski a chance to look back on his own Barcelona chapter. He arrived from Bayern Munich in 2022 and wasted little time justifying the move. Across four seasons he helped deliver three La Liga titles and added a Pichichi trophy to an already crowded personal honours list.

“It was a very special four years for me in Barcelona,” he reflected. “But there comes a time when you have to try something different and take a new step, and I’m very happy now.”

The decision to leave was not driven by decline on the pitch so much as a desire for a different kind of challenge. That new step has taken him far from the Champions League spotlight and into the evolving landscape of MLS.

Chicago, MLS and the patience to adapt

Swapping European football’s familiar rhythms for life in the United States is no small adjustment. New country, new league, new culture. Lewandowski knows it will take time.

“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 scale of the shift as he settles into life in Chicago.

The demands are different, the travel is heavier, the style of play less predictable. Yet the same professionalism that marked his European career now underpins his adaptation in MLS.

Watching Flick’s Barcelona from afar

Even as he builds a new life in Chicago, Lewandowski’s connection to Barcelona remains intact. He intends to follow Flick’s project closely, tracking how Rodri’s arrival reshapes the team’s spine and leadership structure.

“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.”

With Rodri now anchoring midfield and stepping into the leadership space Lewandowski vacated, Barcelona have placed a clear bet on proven pedigree. If the Pole’s prediction holds, the signing will not just steady Flick’s dressing room; it could define the next phase of Barça’s domestic dominance.