Lewandowski dreams of Bayern farewell to match Robben and Ribery

Robert Lewandowski hopes to have won the same level of respect as Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery when his time comes to leave Bayern Munich.

Veteran wingers Robben and Ribery moved on from Bayern at the end of last term, the pair given emotional send-offs after 10 and 12 seasons at the club respectively.

Their final Allianz Arena appearances proved a fitting occasion as both players scored in a 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt that sealed the Bundesliga title.

Star striker Lewandowski, now in his sixth season with the club, could rival their longevity after signing a new contract through to 2023.

By then, the prolific 31-year-old might be ready to make his own grand departure.

“To have that goodbye is definitely a dream of mine,” Lewandowski told Sport1.

“I’m not yet thinking of leaving, but to be honest I almost had tears in my eyes when saying goodbye to them.

“The experience was not only a nice moment for Ribery and Robben, but also for us team-mates. To have such a nice farewell is something special.”

 Hasan #Salihamidžić: “Robert has developed into a real leader at the club and is on course to become as important a player for #FCBayern as Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben were. I hope he can maintain his outstanding strike rate for years to come.” pic.twitter.com/ibEj3VwOEY

— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) August 29, 2019

Lewandowski seemed less enthused about Bayern during the close season, when he expressed frustration over the club’s lack of transfer activity.

Ivan Perisic, Philippe Coutinho and Mickael Cuisance all arrived late in the window, placating the Poland international.

“Those responsible have done a good job in the transfer market,” he said.

“We can be glad that we now have such strong new additions to our team.”

He added: “We prepared really well in pre-season.

“The results can already be seen in how we play football. How we build our game and the movements we have in attack already look very good. I benefit from that as well.”

Bayern drew 2-2 against Hertha Berlin in their season opener but cruised past Schalke and Mainz before the international break to sit second on the table, two points behind Saturday’s opponents RB Leipzig.