Robert Lewandowski has revealed details of a training ground bet he has already made with Jurgen Klopp, while discussing the importance of his relationship with the current Liverpool manager.
Lewandowski was crowned FIFA World Player of the Year 2020 after a sparkling season in which he won the treble with Bayern Munich, in addition to being the top scorer in the Bundesliga and the Champions League.
The 32-year-old Poland international, also ranked 90 minsbest footballer on the planet in 2020, made a name for himself at Borussia Dortmund under Klopp at the start of the decade.
Lewandowski has scored 103 goals in 187 games for Dortmund, twice lifting the Bundesliga title, after leaving Lech Poznan in 2010. However, the man himself admitted that his first season (in which he only scored only nine times in 43 games) was difficult.
Write for The players’ stand, Lewandowski has revealed how Klopp helped his new striker settle in Germany by making a small bet on the training ground.
“When I arrived I could barely speak a word of German. I knew danke. Thank you. I knew scheisse. The weather was rainy and gray. And with Klopp, the intensity of the training was very, very high, ”Lewandowski recalled.
“I desperately needed to make my mark, and Jürgen wanted to challenge me. So the first few months we made a small bet. If I scored 10 goals in a training session he would give me 50 euros. If I didn’t. t, I would give him 50 euros.
“The first few weeks I had to pay almost every time. He laughed. But after a few months, the roles changed. It was I who raked the money.
“So one day he said, ‘Stop! OKAY! That’s enough. You are ready now. “
Lewandowski also told another story highlighting Klopp’s unique management skills, intelligence, and awesome smell!
He wrote: “Jürgen was not just a father figure to me. As a coach he was like the “bad” teacher. And I mean that in the best sense of the word.
Always follow your instincts and create your own story. Here is an article I did on my trip⚽ @PlayersTribune and @TPTFootballhttps://t.co/tCEyPfwkJN pic.twitter.com/QA74EeLhhj
– Robert Lewandowski (@lewy_official) January 11, 2021
“He wasn’t happy to let you be a B student, you know? Jürgen wanted A + students. He didn’t want it for himself. He wanted it for you.
“Jürgen never forgot that we were first human and then footballers. I remember once we were in the locker room after spending a weekend. And, you know, the classic trick when a player has been drinking is to eat a lot of garlic the next morning, so that your breath doesn’t stink of alcohol. So Jürgen came before training and started to sniffle.
“He was like a hunting dog. Sniff sniff. Sniff sniff … Finally he said, “I feel … Something … is it garlic?
“Of course he knew it was. And we knew he knew it. But he just left the matter open and walked away without saying another word.
“It was silent for a while, then we all looked at each other and started laughing.
“The lesson: never try to deceive Jürgen Klopp. The man is too smart! “
Read Robert Lewandowski’s entire work ‘The Movie’ only on The players’ stand.
