There's been a great deal written and said about Barcelona's financial operation during the close season. They have mortgaged many of their tomorrows in an attempt to find their way out of a financial crisis. The Polish striker is the biggest bet of all.

Why? Because, as I argue here in a piece I wrote for ESPNFC, he is the one piece they hope will make a difference in a competition whose riches can begin to pay off their suffocating debt: the Champions League.

It could be a happy marriage - but Lewandowski has high standards and his new employer and his new teammates must match them.

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