Not since Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were sharing the Spanish spotlight did La Liga boast the game’s top two goalscorers, one at each of its marquee clubs. Robert Lewandowski’s move to Barcelona from Munich, coupled with Karim Benzema’s sustained prime at Real Madrid as he hits his mid-30s will lend a new layer to El Clásico, create a furious battle for the Pichichi and bring back eyeballs to a league whose stature has slipped some in the struggle for European and global dominance.
In theory, at least.
Barcelona’s season, after a preseason full of fanfare spanning from the United States to the Spotify Camp Nou (yes, that’s right), begins Saturday, a day after Sevilla and Osasuna raise the curtain for Spain’s top flight. And as of now, it’s anybody’s guess as to whether Lewandowski and any of the other club’s summer signings will actually be registered and eligible to play, despite club president Joan Laporta’s repeated public insistence that all is copacetic.
