Robert Lewandowski has admitted that he took inspiration from Thierry Henry when he was growing up.
The Bayern Munich hitman, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal (but is not going to come, so let it go) was speaking to UEFA.com as they get ready for the Euros that start in just nine days.
The Pole, who is great friends with Wojciech Szczesny, was asked about watching football when he was a child and replied “I watched the national team and I also remember the Champions League. I used to fall asleep a bit in the second half of those matches as it was quite late, but I always wanted to watch until the end.
“Thierry Henry was a player I liked to watch and take inspiration from,” Lewandowski said.
“It was a real honour more recently when he asked if he could have my shirt after a game. I asked if it was for someone else and he said: ‘No, it’s for me.’ That was really cool.
“I was watching him on TV a few years ago, now he is asking for my shirt.”
Goalscorer Robert #Lewandowski with #MLSAllStar Thierry #Henry. #AudiFCBTour pic.twitter.com/s6d2S6bqdH
— FC Bayern English (@FCBayernEN) August 7, 2014
Lewandowski, 27, scored 30 goals in 32 Bundesliga appearances last season (with five assists) and grabbed 42 in 51 games across all competitions.
Arsenal fans, myself included, would sell their soul to have him at the club but it’s just not going to happen. Under contract with the German giants until 2019, he has no reason to leave the club he joined on a free just two summers ago.
“You can score three or even five in a game, but then you have another match and another,” he continued.
“You are only as good as your last game – that’s my approach. I’m not sure if this is the prime of my career. I think my best years are still ahead of me. I think I can play at this level for many more years.”
Will any of those years be in England? Possibly.
It’s impossible to tell the future, as you probably already know, but I’d recommend dismissing out of hand any reports that see him linked with Arsenal, especially this summer.
Henry himself doesn’t think that signing Lewandowski would even make a difference. At the start of May, he told the Sun “The Champions League run has helped to soften the blow for City but Arsenal have not even had the consolation of a decent European campaign and everyone at the club is frustrated.
“People say to me they need to sign a central midfielder, a centre-half or a 30-goals-a-season striker. But the solution is never that easy.
“Robin van Persie scored 30 Premier League goals in his final season at Arsenal and they did not win the title.
“They could sign Robert Lewandowski and N’Golo Kante tomorrow and it would not guarantee anything.”