BERLIN: Bayern Munich’s star striker Robert Lewandowski wants to leave the Bundesliga club this summer to seek “a new challenge,” his agent told Sport Bild on Wednesday.
“Robert feels that he needs a change and a new challenge in his career,” Pini Zahavi told the weekly.
“The managers of Bayern know about it.”
Lewandowski, 29, whose Bayern contract runs until 2021, has been linked with Real Madrid while Qatari-backed Paris Saint-Germain and Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United are also understood to be interested.
He was the Bundesliga’s top scorer in the just-completed season with 29 goals.
In late February, the Poland international parted ways with his previous agent of 10 years, Cezary Kucharski, and signed up with Zahavi, one of the most powerful agents in world football.
Zahavi said that “Robert’s motivation are not money or a specific club, because almost all top clubs would like to sign up the world’s best striker.”
He said he hoped Bayern president Uli Hoeness and CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge would understand the player’s position.
“Everyone in the Bayern club leadership has their own great career to look back on. They should understand his situation,” he told Sport Bild.
Rummenigge told Kicker magazine earlier this month that Bayern fans “do not have to worry about Robert Lewandowski and the relationship with Bayern ... We have a very good one.”
Real Madrid and PSG on alert after news Robert Lewandowski wants out of Bayern Munich
Real Madrid and PSG on alert after news Robert Lewandowski wants out of Bayern Munich
- Poland striker 'wants a new challenge'
- Super agent Pini Zahavi tasked with landing him a new club
WWE star praises Saudi fans as excitement builds on eve of Royal Rumble in Riyadh
- The event on Saturday at the newly built, 25,000-seater KAFD Arena will be the first traditional Royal Rumble staged outside North America
- Saudi fans ‘are so energetic and loud … They’re bringing the energy. They’re going to bring it to SmackDown, to Royal Rumble and, next year, to WrestleMania,’ says WWE star Matt Cardona
RIYADH: A landmark Royal Rumble weekend in Riyadh got underway on Friday, with WWE superstar Matt Cardona sharing his impressions of Saudi Arabia and the local fans as momentum built for the promotion’s marquee premium live event on Saturday.
The event, part of Riyadh Season, is the first “Big Five” WWE show of the year and the first traditional Royal Rumble staged outside North America. It will take place at the newly built KAFD Arena, which was constructed in a record-breaking time of just 35 days, and has seating for about 25,000 fans, an open-roof design and what are described as immersive architectural elements.
In recent years, WWE has expanded its global footprint by staging major events across the Middle East and Europe, offering fans in Saudi Arabia and other countries the opportunity to see their favorite fighters in action.
Cardona told Arab News that the relationship between WWE and Riyadh Season continues to grow, and revealed what he and his fellow wrestlers have been up to since arriving in the Kingdom.
“We went to Six Flags, we rode the tallest, longest roller coaster, then we get to wrestle,” said the former WWE US and Intercontinental Champion and NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
“So for me, as a big fan, a big kid, getting to go to Six Flags when I get to wrestle, this is a dream come true.”
Professional wrestling has built a strong following in Saudi Arabia over the years, and now generations of fans who grew up watching bouts on television have the chance to attend major events in person and see their favorite stars in action.
What once seemed a distant dream for many in the Kingdom has become a reality in recent years, after the WWE and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority began working together to bring live events to the country in line with Saudi Vision 2030’s entertainment goals.
Cardona has been impressed by the passion and enthusiasm of the Saudi fans he has encountered.
“The fans here are so energetic and loud,” he said. “Even yesterday, we were just doing meet-and-greets, photo ops and autographs, and they’re chanting like we’re already in the ring.
“They’re bringing the energy. They’re going to bring it to SmackDown, to Royal Rumble and, next year, to WrestleMania.”
Since the partnership with Saudi authorities began, WWE has staged several major events in the Kingdom including Crown Jewel, Elimination Chamber, and King and Queen of the Ring. The date for next year’s WrestleMania 43 in Riyadh has yet to be announced.
