Interview with Lewandone: Small country players have to take a harder road, my championship journey is still going on

Bayern striker Lewandowski previously won his first European Golden Boot. He then accepted an interview on the Bundesliga official website and talked about his desire to continue to improve, his wife Anna’s help to him, and his career in Nagel The feeling of working under Sman.

You said in a recent interview that you want to reach the “next level.” In order to reach this level, where do you think there is room for improvement?

This is always a choice and possibility. Of course, when we talk about goals, then you might say that there are three, four, or five goals. But I mean, it’s also about the way the game is played. Where can I improve? How can I enhance my running position and my creativity? Can I create goals for my teammates under certain circumstances? This is also the direction I want to improve, because football is not only about scoring goals, I also need teammates. When the team performs well, then I will benefit by scoring goals. But I know that sometimes the team needs my help. After all, we can only win as a team. This is also the next step in my career. Playing the game the way I do, there are some things that can still be improved.

What does mental power in sports mean to you?

I think this is not just football players, but all athletes. If you want to be top, you must stay strong mentally. This is related to expectations and pressure. The world we live in is not only good, but also bad that attracts the attention of many people, including the media. Then fans and people will talk about it, and when it’s a good situation, it’s positive. But there are also bad situations or moments. It is also important for sports players and football players to stay mentally strong. No matter what happens, you need to be able to shut out the outside world and still focus on your own affairs. No matter what happens, you must think positively and continue to believe in your success.

You also emphasized today how important your wife Anna is in your development. Can you explain what she learned about the impact of diet or additional training methods on you during her successful karate career?

It all started about 10 years ago, and we started with some things. I think it’s all good, it’s not a big trouble. We start with small things like diet, and specific training courses other than football. After a month or two, I can see some small initial effects. Then we continue to do some new things step by step, these are small things, but very important.

When I was 20 or 21 years old, I always had regular milk and corn flakes for breakfast. Then during training, I always feel a little empty and tired. I’m very thin, with only a few normal muscles, but I never thought that food would affect the way you extract power from your body.

That’s why we started these things and I noticed that I can recover quickly and work harder during training. You can’t expect it to completely change your world in a week or a month, you need time and patience. We can always find new things. When I get home after the game, I always talk to my wife about what I can do better. In the past, I always wanted to leave things to myself and try to solve the problems myself. Later I tried to tell my wife, and after having children, it made me more open.

When did you realize that you could become a top player all the way?

I think it goes back to my debut in Dortmund. Of course, I knew that the first step to becoming a professional player was when I went to Poznan Lech when I was 18. But that was only the first step, and it was not my dream to play at that level. My dream has always been to play in the biggest stadium and win games with the biggest team. Step by step, year after year, I always make progress. I think I have said this several times over the years and I am already at the top level. Sometimes, subtle things make subtle differences, so I know I have to improve the details so that I can see the results and performance.

Is there a special moment in that journey?

There are many moments, when I scored 4 goals in the Champions League game against Real Madrid, and then scored 5 goals in 9 minutes. At this time you will feel that what you have just done is very special, but it is also important to succeed with the team. Like I said, this is very important in football. I know what this means. I come from a so-called small country where there are not so many top players. You have to do some harder work than players who come from a larger country and have a greater national team’s achievements.

After the start of the season, you have scored seven goals in five games. At this rate, the end of the season may allow you to reach 40 goals. Are there other records that you are focusing on?

For now, I say no, because it is still too early. At the same time, it is also because of the pressure brought by so many games this season, just like last season, because of the epidemic, we face so many games and pressure. We also often spend time on the journey, including with the national team, which is never easy. I know this season is very long. What you do now is not that important. What matters is your performance at the most important moments and when facing the most important teams. This is why I must remain patient and do my job well, but I must also consider what might happen in the most important period, not now.

You have two years left on the contract, and you can even stay at Bayern for longer. Does this mean that Ged-Müller’s historical record of 365 Bundesliga goals is a realistic goal?

I don’t know how many goals I have left the record, but of course you need more than 30 goals every season. I do not consider this issue now, it is still a long distance. If I get closer, I can think about this issue more. But it is too early, because the season just started two months ago. This season will also be very long. You need to perform, not just every week, but every three days. It doesn’t matter who your opponent is or where you are playing, and there are also national teams on the schedule. So, for me, maintaining my goal rate is very important, but the game style and assists are also among them.

After Nagelsman’s arrival, how have you changed?

As a forward, I haven’t changed much. Of course, in modern football, you can’t do many new things in tactics, but a new coach, Nashuai brings his ideas and his methods, and we quickly understand what he wants. When you play in the top league, you know what it means to play with a new lineup or system. This is nothing new. Of course, it is important that the coach accurately stated his requirements or expectations of us, just like what is happening now. He directly stated his expectations and what direction we want to go. We all understood this very quickly and wanted to go along this path and do our thing well.

Physically you are perfect, but even Lewandowski can reward himself and celebrate after winning the Golden Boot?

I think that the time when I can celebrate all my trophies has not yet come. I know I can enjoy what is happening now or in the future, but I know that tomorrow is a new day, I have to go to training, and there will be the next game in a few days. However, after such a beautiful day and beautiful moments and the good words you have heard, you still need to put these aside, welcome the next game and focus on your work. Of course, everything I have won, or everything we have won, is not the future. It has already happened. The future is always a new challenge. For me personally, I can certainly sit on the couch after my career is over. Looking at my trophy, just enjoying this time. And now, I am very proud and very happy, but I know that the journey is still going on.