Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has admitted to feeling “physically weaker” in 2023 and that there was a moment when his “spark went out”.

The 35-year-old has been one of the world’s best strikers for well over a decade, breaking records galore in Germany while playing for Bayern Munich before completing a fairytale move to Barca in 2022.

Lewandowski won the Pichichi Trophy in his first season at the Catalan giants, beating off competition from then-Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, and scored over 20 league goals for the 11th time in his last 12 seasons – the 2014/15 campaign the last time he failed to hit the landmark and even then he scored 17 times in his debut year at Bayern.

But things have taken a sharp turn for Lewandowski during 2023/24, with his individual form noticeably declining at a time when Barcelona have struggled to put together a sequence of positive results. Things have become so bad that head coach Xavi has already announced his resignation, effective in the summer, in order for the reset button to be hit, with their La Liga title defence all but over.

Speaking to Polish YouTube channel Foot Truck, Lewandowski offered an honest assessment of his recent struggles and admitted that he’s been in a rut he seemingly can’t get out of.

“In 2023, there was a moment when I felt not only mentally, but also physically weaker,” Poland’s all-time record scorer said. “That year, all the bad and negative things seemed to come together in one moment. Everything accumulated.

“Of course, I also made mistakes. I fell into a kind of current and it took me too long to get out of it, to get back to normal, and in football it’s not so easy to do it in a week or two weeks.”

Remaining positive about the future, he added: “I can look back and this is an indicator for me that shows me that there are still good times ahead, but in 2023 there was a moment when my spark went out.”

Lewandowski has scored just eight La Liga goals in 20 games and netted just once in the Champions League group stages – a significant drop-off from the high standards he’s set for himself ever since he joined Borussia Dortmund in 2010.