Robert Lewandowski Injury: Progress, Potential Return Date for Barcelona Striker

Lewandowski took a nasty blow to the face in Barcelona’s final game of February.

Robert Lewandowski sustained a blow to the face against Villarreal. | oan Valls/Urbanandsport/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Robert Lewandowski controls all the controllables.

This is a character who sleeps on his left hand side to preserve the muscles in his right leg, who maintains a 6% body fat while on holiday and eats his dessert first to aid his digestions (clearly skipping a sweet treat hasn’t been tested yet).

This obsessive preparation is a large reason why Lewandowski remains one of the world’s best strikers even at the age of 37. Despite playing a more limited role, often off the bench, Barcelona’s prolific Pole boasts 11 goals from just 10 league starts.

However, even Lewandowski can’t guard against bad luck.

As he pivoted to spin in behind Villarreal’s backline during Barcelona’s final game of February, the No. 9 ran straight into Pau Navarro’s shoulder. There was no sense of malice, just plenty of misfortune as Lewandowski tumbled to the floor clutching his cheek.

The grizzled professional shook off the pain to see out the game, which inevitably ended with a well-taken goal, but subsequent tests have prompted Barcelona to issue an official injury update confirming that Lewandowski will have to be sidelined.

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What Injury Does Robert Lewandowski Have?

𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗟 𝗥𝗘𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧 ‼️

First team player Robert Lewandowski picked up an injury in the recent game against Villarreal. Tests have diagnosed a fracture of the left eye socket.

He will miss the game against Atlético Madrid. pic.twitter.com/I54nE94rs8

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 1, 2026

The day after Barcelona’s 4–1 win over Villarreal on Feb. 28, the club released a medical report revealing that Lewandowski had fractured his eye socket.

Across a career as long as his, Lewandowski has suffered through plenty of ailments. More than a decade ago, the lean forward crashed violently into Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Mitch Langerak while playing for Bayern Munich and was left with a broken nose and fractured jaw. Lewandowski sat out just one match.

Thanks to the introduction of a specially made mask he was fit enough to line up against Barcelona for the 2015 Champions League semifinal. Bayern were obliterated 3–0.

Lewandowski struggled in that contest and would later reveal how difficult he found it playing with face protection—which may be what lies in store for the forward again this year. “When I had to wear a mask myself, it wasn’t nice,” the Pole would reflect years later.

“It’s quite annoying, especially in the penalty area, I had problems, I didn’t react, I couldn’t see, my field of vision was hampered ... It’s a few milliseconds but it can slow down a player. It’s a challenge, it’s not pleasant.”

Despite these difficulties, Lewandowski still managed to score against Barcelona in the second leg of that Champions League semifinal.

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When Will Robert Lewandowski Be Fit for Barcelona?

Robert Lewandowski has fallen behind Ferran Torres in Barcelona’s pecking order. | Josep Lago/AFP/Getty Images

Upon the announcement of Lewandowski’s injury, Barcelona confirmed that their center forward would not be available for the following clash with Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg.

Trailing 4–0 after a spectacular collapse in the first fixture at the Metropolitano, Barcelona’s attempts to pull off an unlikely comeback would not have been hurt by the presence of a player with more than 700 senior goals to his name.

However, there is a chance that Lewandowski could return in some capacity for Barcelona’s league meeting with Athletic Club on Saturday, per MARCA. The same report stresses that both the player and club consider the first leg of the Champions League last 16 against Newcastle United on Tuesday, March 10 to be the “main objective” for his return.

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