Robert Lewandowski scored his 100th Champions League goal in the simplest situation he could imagine. He won a penalty kick in the first minutes of the match against Stade Brestois 29, he took it himself in his own style – by stopping the run-up and gently shooting on the ground in the opposite direction to which the goalkeeper was shooting. You can say that it's a pity that it wasn't an impressive roll or a long-range shot into the window, but it's even more regrettable that the club didn't do anything to commemorate this event – not at all. stadiumor on social media.
Barcelona's big flop on social media
FC Barcelona's communication and social media team has been receiving criticism for its ideas and actions on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for a long time. The words “embarrassment” and “amateurism” were common in the comments, even in the case of short recordings that are simply intended to embellish the profile. When it comes to Lewandowski, Blaugrana's social media specialists have failed for the first time. It is worth recalling the confirmation of the Pole's arrival to the club in 2022. An ordinary recording from the beach in Miami. Wasted marketing potential. No special video or graphics, and it was possible to arouse interest in the club also in the United States – Barcelona was in the middle of the pre-season. Barcelona's social media ninjas did not allow anyone to feel that the best FIFA player of the previous two years had arrived, a player who had been robbed of at least one Ballon d'Or. The one who could sit at the same table with Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Appropriate packaging of big events in social media, including achievement of milestones by given players, is standard. Lewandowski was the third player in history to score 100 goals in the Champions League. For us, Poles, this is something great, because our attacker crossed a magical border, unattainable for ordinary mortals. The football world also appreciates it. But it was ignored in the club.
The first post after the goal – a regular emoticon with the number 100, which is most often used when sending birthday wishes. Second post: GIF for a goal, adding the name of the scorer and the goal in the post. Third: Reminder of the post from before the match that Lewandowski's next goal in the Champions League will be his 100th goal. Fourth: A shot celebrating the hit with the rest of the team. Fifth: a photo of Lewandowski pointing to his name on t-shirt with the note “historical”. And that's it. Watching Barcelona's social media in this situation, one could feel like a western scene, when joggers run through the desert and crickets can be heard in the background. As if no one in the club cared about this historic milestone achieved by the Pole. A series of posts thrown together quickly, just to make something interesting. Disrespectful.
UEFA did more on the official profiles of the Champions League, and even Canal+ Sport, the broadcaster of the competition in Poland. A lot of good has also been done abroad on the Internet, for example on the BBC profile. The graphics published by the federation and the station made us feel that something great had happened, that Lewandowski was properly appreciated for his achievement. Barcelona should beat their chest and draw conclusions.
Moreover, the club did not prepare any souvenir, and it could have expected that Lewandowski's 100th goal in the Champions League would be scored this year. He has been in great shape since the beginning of the season and something could have been planned in advance. We can only believe that he will make up for it.
An anniversary goal in a picnic atmosphere
Barcelona didn't play against any giant. Stade Brestois 29 is a revelation in Ligue 1, for which this year is the best in the club's history. But he's not a giant. One could feel that this meeting did not ignite the imagination, it did not warm up much fans. Even though it was almost full at the Estadi Montjuic, there was a picnic atmosphere. You could feel like you were at Polish national team matches.
Few people had the courage to spontaneously cheer or to chant chants in praise of Barcelona. There was no organized group conducting this doping, but this can be called an unfortunate coincidence. During the day FC Barcelona issued a statement in which it announced the termination of the contract with the Grada de Animación group due to its fault. The reason for this decision was the group's refusal to settle financial obligations arising from penalties imposed on the club. Grada de Animación itself only managed to express outrage at the club's actions. It was primarily a business decision, but the moment to announce it was simply bad. As a result, the stand behind one goal was almost deserted.
We can be proud of Robert Lewandowski, we can be happy with his form and effectiveness. We must also appreciate that November 26, 2024 became history. But Barcelona should also be blamed for its marketing and PR sabotage. Anyone who doesn't score 100 goals in the Champions League (or even 101, because Lewandowski can boast a double against Brest), and this deserves special commemoration. Not only at the stadium, but also online.