How did Robert Lewandowski come back after a club released him as a teenager?

Robert Lewandowski told Pardon My Take that at 16 or 17, a year after his father died, a club declined to renew his contract after a muscle injury, and a doctor said he would never return to his old level. He heard the news from the club secretary. He joined another club that believed in him while he could still barely run, and he says he chose to take responsibility for his own life rather than dwell on who was wrong.

• Lewandowski's father, who practiced judo, drove him to training and back and died before seeing him play professionally.
• Lewandowski said no Polish player before him had reached his level, so he had nobody to follow.
• Lewandowski said he first knew football would be his future at 18 or 19.

▸In their words

“I got the information from the secretary of the club that they don't want to renew my contract.” Robert Lewandowski · at 2:12:29 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Pardon My Take (2026-10-30). Read the whole episode summary →

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