Former Schalke 04 and Eintracht Frankfurt defender Carlos Zambrano took to social media to address Robert Lewandowski’s recent allegations.
The Barcelona striker, who spent his previous 12 seasons in the Bundesliga, revealed Zambrano was his most irritating opponent.
In an interview with Kwartalnik Sportowy (as quoted by BILD), the Pole said: “There was a player called Zambrano from Eintracht.
“All he wanted to do was to break my leg, his focus was not even on the ball. I got irritated then when the ref was not seeing it. Defenders can do more than strikers a lot of the time, it is not an even fight.”
Zambrano spent seven years in the Bundesliga. The defender competed in the league at the same time as Lewandowski made a name for himself as one of the world’s most prolific goalscorers.
The Peru international acknowledged the accusations on social media, and decided to set the record straight.
£50m may soon look money well spent on Daniel Levy’s mid-life Tottenham crisis
Writing on Instagram, the current Boca Juniors centre-back said: “Dear Robert Lewandowski, thank you for remembering me so fondly.
“This is football, my friend. We always play hard, we all give our lives on the pitch. But nothing happens out of spite.”
Zambrano doesn’t appear to hold a grudge against his former rival, adding: “I respect you for your exceptional professionalism and collegiality. It was an honor to play against you. Good luck and best regards.”
Lewandowski left Bayern Munich during the summer transfer window following a £40million move to Barcelona.
The switch was marred in controversy as the Pole went on to make a number of unsavoury comments in the build up to the deal.
Nevertheless, the Poland international has continued his fierce scoring record since arriving at Camp Nou. The 34-year-old has already bagged 11 goals in eight games for a rejuvenated Barcelona side.
When asked about his new manager, Xavi Hernandez, Lewandowski added: “He gives concrete tips and what to improve tactically when we do something wrong.
“You can see he wants to improve the team from last season. I am very happy with how we train and what we do after trainings.”
Lewandowski is currently with the Poland squad as they prepare for a crucial Nations League clash against Wales on Sunday night.
Later in the year, the striker will lead his nation at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as Poland look to progress past the group stage for the first time since 1986.
Lewandowski is the most capped player in his nation with 133 appearances. He is also the top scorer with 76 efforts to his name.
