“All the players run a lot, except Lewandowski” – Barcelona legend cracks joke about star striker

In his Barcelona farewell ceremony, Jordi Alba addressed the fans and his teammates – both current and former — and spoke about his time at the club. Despite it being a rather emotional interview, Alba showed his funny side by taking a dig at Robert Lewandowski.

Alba, a product of Barcelona’s La Masia Academy, left the club at a young age. After stints at Cornelia and Valencia, he returned in 2012. Since then, he has made 456 appearances for the club, scoring 27 goals and providing 99 assists.

Though he had one year left on his contract with the Catalan club, he has decided to part ways as they cannot afford to pay his wages, which will rise to €30 million next season, owing to deferred payments and the incremental nature of his contract.

In an emotional farewell ceremony on Thursday, June 1, Alba thanked the club for showing faith in him.

“It’s a special day for me, thanks for being here. You gave me the most beautiful moments of my career. Thanks to the socios, fans, and everyone,” he said. (via barcauniversal)

The Spaniard also thank the late Tito Vilanova, who facilitated his return to the club.

“I want to pay tribute to Tito Vilanova today. I remember very fondly my beginnings, at La Masía. I will always remember with pride being chosen to lay the first stone at the Ciutat Esportiva,” he added.

During the tear-filled ceremony, Alba made special mention of teammate Lewandowski by pulling his leg saying:

“All the players run a lot, except Lewandowski”

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“I'm happy, I've never felt this way before” - Robert Lewandowski on being a Barcelona player

LaLiga Santander

Robert Lewandowski has stated that he is extremely happy plying his trade with FC Barcelona.

The Polish striker moved to Spain last summer after the Catalan club spent around €50 million to secure the services from Bayern Munich. In his first season with Barcelona, he scored 33 goals and picked up eight assists in 45 matches.

In a recent interview, the 34-year-old expressed satisfaction at being a Barcelona player, saying (via Polish news outlet Interia Sport):

“I'm happy, I've never felt this way before. Nowhere else would I find as much love as the one Barcelona have given me. And I'm not just talking about the club - but also about the people, about the city.”