ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI has described Jurgen Klopp as a “special” man in a fitting tribute to the outgoing Liverpool manager.
SunSport exclusively sat down with the legendary striker to discuss his old Borussia Dortmund boss, a failed move to Manchester United, the Euros, and the real story behind him eating dessert before main meals.
But we start with Klopp – who said farewell to Anfield on Sunday after a stellar nine years at the club.
Lewandowski, 35, spent four seasons playing under Klopp at Dortmund during which he scored 103 goals in 187 games.
Prior to Bayer Leverkusen’s recent triumph, Dortmund were the last team to topple Bayern Munich and clinch the Bundesliga title when they won back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012.
Klopp’s side also reached the Champions League final in 2013, losing to Bayern at Wembley.
And Lewandowski has nothing but fond memories of his time with the iconic German coach.
Speaking about Klopp at the announcement of his partnership with gaming company G2A, he said: “He’s just special as a man, not only as a coach.
“I think that he wrote the new history of the Liverpool because he won everything.
“When I saw what’s happened in the last game, not even the last game, even last week, he is still not only the legend but he’s the person who you loved and you love him because not only what he won, what he did on the pitch, but everything around [him] and you understood that this man is special.
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Robert Lewandowski is just as impressive off the pitch as he has been on it for the best part of 20 years.
From the moment he walked into the room of 30 or 40 people at the G2A media day, there was a humbleness you would not expect from one of the best players of his generation.
He then proceeded to give what appeared to be an off-the-cuff speech about his excitement for the partnership – a task many sports stars may have found daunting but which Lewandowski took in his stride.
Sitting down for the interview, he was quick to ask about my time in Barcelona and how I had found the city.
He then proceeded to joke that I had “forgotten my sun cream” after catching a glimpse of my redder-than-usual complexion.
Across the next 15 minutes he did not refuse to answer anything, speaking with an impressive eloquence and relaxed nature.
At the end I requested a photo which was warmly received by Lewandowski – who was happy to oblige.
We shook hands and he wished me the best, before he prepared for his next two interviews in German and Polish.
“When I was with him in Dortmund I had and still have with him amazing contact because I know everything he does is pure.
“He never lied. Even the tough decisions or tough conversations he said to you exactly what he wanted to say, not what you wanted to hear.
“So it’s different. Always he was clear with the players, with the people. And in the end for sure he was clear with himself. And that’s why everything what he did for Liverpool, for this club, for the players, for sure that’s staying with him for the next years.
“For one side it’s very sad that he’s leaving. But he knew that he needed a break. To be the coach not only of Liverpool but to be the coach of a top club costs a lot of energy. It’s a difficult job, very tough.
“I’m very grateful for everything what he did, what kind of person he is. And I think that so many fans are going to miss him.”
Lewandowski left Dortmund for Bayern in 2014, one year before Klopp also departed the Westfalenstadion.
But his exit could have come much earlier had he been granted his wish to join Man Utd.
Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson spotted the forward’s supreme talent and was keen to bring him to Old Trafford.
Yet despite both Fergie and Lewandowski wanting the move to happen, Dortmund refused to let him go.
Recalling that time, the striker said: “I had decided to go to Manchester United. I remember when I was speaking with Sir Alex Ferguson and I was already decided.
“I was 22, 23 [years old] and it was after one or two years in Dortmund [when Sir Alex called me]. You cannot say no [to him], it’s the prime of Manchester United, the prime of Sir Alex Ferguson. I was decided, okay, I want to join to Manchester United.
“But in the end Dortmund said no. So I had to respect this.”
He has not held that decision against Dortmund – insisting it will be a “dream” if they win the Champions League final at Wembley against Real Madrid on June 1.
It comes 11 years after he lost with Dortmund at Wembley alongside team-mate Marco Reus – who he hopes is given the most “beautiful” send-off with a European triumph.
As a person, Lewandowski has a number of eccentric quirks.
They include his love of gaming – particularly anything F1-related – as he revealed his admiration for both Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.
But the main idiosyncrasy he has become known for is eating dessert BEFORE main meals.
Lewandowski was keen to set the records straight on this tale, elaborating on exactly what the alternative method entails.
“If you are talking about lunch, for example, I want to eat dessert like one and a half hours before I’m eating or one and a half hours after the lunch because I don’t like to mix food,” he said.
“If you have the sweet things and you mix with protein, for example, if you boil it up, it doesn’t work well. So this is the idea.
“I know the story was that I first [eat] dessert and [then] soup, something like that. But yeah, it’s not so correct.”
On his dessert of choice, he added: “Chocolate fondant. Hot chocolate with the inside. I am so ready to eat this.”
Lewandowski has scored 25 goals for Barcelona this season – the 13th successive campaign he has achieved this goalscoring tally.
But, with the Catalan giants set to close out their campaign away at Sevilla on Sunday, they have already been condemned to a trophyless term.
Now the Poland captain, who has scored 680 goals in 988 games for club and country, will lead his nation into this summer’s European Championships.
A tough group awaits them after they were drawn alongside France, Netherlands and Austria.
And Lewandowski believes the French are one of three teams with a realistic chance of glory in Germany – alongside England and Portugal.
He said: “France, I think also England. Also Portugal, I think they can be very dangerous because of the coach, because of the players of this generation.”
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Major honours won by Robert Lewandowski:
Lech Poznan: Polish league, Polish Cup, Polish Super Cup
Borussia Dortmund: Bundesliga x2, German Cup, German Super Cup
Bayern Munich: Bundesliga x8, German Cup x3, German Super Cup x5, Champions League, Uefa Super Cup, Club World Cup
Barcelona: LaLiga, Spanish Super Cup
Individual awards: Best Fifa Men’s Player x2, European Golden Shoe x2, Uefa Men’s Player of the Year, Uefa Team of the Year x2, Bundesliga Player of the Season x2, Bundesliga top scorer x7, Bundesliga Team of the Season x9, Bayern Munich Player of the Season x3, LaLiga Team of the Season x2
