After the nail-biter over his playing license, world footballer Robert Lewandowski is about to make his league debut at FC Barcelona. In the evening (9 p.m.) the Catalans welcome Rayo Vallecano from Madrid with the Polish striker and the German national goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen in the first league game of the new season. With another balance sheet trick to comply with financial fair play rules, Barça was able to get its new stars eligible to play at the last moment.
"We want to compete with everyone and achieve everything. The goal is to win titles," said Barça coach Xavi Hernández, without going into the quarrels. The coach was enthusiastic about his new striker, former Bayern star Lewandowski. "He's a goalscorer and an exceptional player. He's hungry, humble and with that desire to work," Xavi praised the Poles.
The much-praised ex-Bayern star was on the verge of not being allowed to play for his new employer after his much-discussed move. It was only on Friday evening that the Catalans, after another deal worth millions, received last-minute league play permits not only for Lewandowski, but also for the other newcomers, ex-Gladbach player Andreas Christensen, Franck Kessie and Raphinha. This also applied to Ousmane Dembélé and Sergi Roberto, whose contracts had been renewed. Only the newcomer Jules Koundé, who came from FC Sevilla, is not yet registered.
Before that can happen, the salaries of the millions must first be reduced, the newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" reported. The deadline for registering players in La Liga is August 31st. Barça had announced the previous evening that the club had sold 24.5 percent of the shares in Barça Studios to Orpheus Media for 100 million euros in the fourth campaign of this kind in order to comply with the financial rules to some extent. Spanish media commented on the trick, saying that although the league had to ensure compliance with the rules of fair play, it also had no interest in superstars ending up in the stands.
