Robert Lewandowski makes Alan Shearer confession ahead of Newcastle vs Barcelona

Robert Lewandowski has disclosed his connection with Newcastle United before Barcelona's Champions League showdown in the north-east. The Magpies begin their European campaign with a tantalising encounter against the Catalan giants at St James' Park on Thursday night.

The fixture holds particular significance for the Polish legend, who worshipped Alan Shearer during his youth. He cherishes memories of receiving a Newcastle strip bearing Shearer's name and copying his iconic goal celebration.

Lewandowski told The Times: "When I was growing up, I remember I had the jersey of Newcastle, with Shearer No.9 on the back. It was a family present and I wore it a lot because, at the time, he was right on the top. Of course, I did the celebration as well, it was unique."

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Unfortunately, Shearer will miss the Magpies' first match back in the Champions League as he'll be airborne due to prior commitments in the United States. He revealed on The Rest is Football podcast: "Can you believe it? The fan fest that the Premier League do in the United States, this has been arranged for such a long time.

"I'm going to Kansas and my flight's on Thursday. Can you believe that? I'm going to miss the game. I can't believe it. Nightmare for me, unfortunately."

Lewandowski, regarded as one of Europe's finest strikers of all time, continues to excel at 37. After spells with German powerhouses Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, the prolific goalscorer has never featured in the Premier League, though he came tantalisingly close on several occasions.

Ex-Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce attempted to bring him to Blackburn Rovers in 2010 while he was still plying his trade at Lech Poznan. Later, during his time at Dortmund in 2012, Sir Alex Ferguson made an approach just before Manchester United secured Robin van Persie from Arsenal.

Lewandowski even received a phone call from Ferguson during a match, confessing he struggled with the Scotsman's accent. He recalled: "I remember it was half-time in a friendly game for Dortmund in pre-season. I called Ferguson back and when he started to talk to me, I was so confused by the accent.

"I had to concentrate so hard to understand. I was like, 'yeah of course, of course,' pretending I understood everything but I didn't understand anything. I said yes and I was close. But the president of Dortmund said they could not sell me. It wasn't the right moment."

The Polish striker doesn't accept that the Premier League's biggest spenders - Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City - will dominate this season's Champions League, insisting: "They are among the favourites as well but you still have Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG."

He also raised concerns about the hefty sums Premier League clubs are spending on players who haven't proven their worth. He said: "In the Premier League, they pay a lot. You see the players they are buying for big prices when players don't even have one good season.

"You are young, you score 10 goals in six months and some club will pay 60 or 70 million. Before, you had to achieve something. But you never know if the price they pay brings the quality they want."

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