Lewandowski crosses 100-goal mark as Barca end season in style

La Liga champions Barcelona celebrated a successful season with a 3-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday in their final match, with Robert Lewandowski netting twice to pass his 100 goal milestone for the club.

The veteran Polish forward, 36, reached 27 league goals for the season, although he finished behind Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe on 31.

Barcelona wrapped up a domestic treble with Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cups wins, while fourth-place Athletic also had a fine season and returned to the Champions League for the first time in 11 years.

Athletic defender Oscar de Marcos made his 570th and final appearance for the club, behind only Jose Angel Iribar, a goalkeeper who played 614 times in the 1960s and 70s, in the club’s history.

Even Iribar might not have saved Lewandowski’s opener after the striker was fed by Fermin Lopez, brilliantly scooping over current Bilbao goalkeeper Unai Simon to put Barca ahead and rack up the Catalans’ 100th league goal of the season.

It also brought up a century of goals for Lewandowski in a Barcelona shirt since joining in 2022 from Bayern Munich, and another was soon to follow.

Three minutes later Lewandowski nodded in at the back post after a corner was flicked into his path.

“I am very happy, very proud to be part of this team, this club, it’s been something amazing,” Lewandowski told Barca One.

“I try to do my best, not only with goals but my attitude on and off the pitch -- and there are so many young players we have to take care of them.

“We did something great (this season) but we know we can still do a lot (more) things.”

Lewandowski missed two good chances in the second half as Barca tried to stretch their lead and sign off in style. In the Barcelona goal, Inaki Pena showed sharp reactions to tip a ball against the bar as a Pau Cubarsi deflection headed towards his own goal.

Barcelona’s 17-year-old star Lamine Yamal forced a smart save at his near post from Simon.

The Catalans got their third when Dani Olmo won and then converted a penalty in stoppage time.

After the game De Marcos gave a speech to fans at the San Mames and was thrown into the air by his team-mates.

“I just want to thank everyone who has been there on (my) path,” said the 36-year-old defender, who played 16 seasons at the club.

“Next season I will be in the stands, as just another Athletic fan.”

Mbappe adds a little lustre to Real season with Golden Shoe: Real may have won no trophies, but their French Galactico Mbappe ended his first season in Spain by collecting two individual scoring awards: the European Golden Shoe and the award for top scorer in La Liga.

Mbappe scored twice in Real Madrid’s final league game on Saturday to overtake Viktor Gyokeres, whose league season at Sporting Lisbon ended the previous week, at the top of the weighted table which counts only league goals.

Mbappe ended with 31 league goals as he became the third Real Madrid player to win the award, after Mexicans Hugo Sanchez (1989-1990) and Cristiano Ronaldo (2010-2011, 2013-2014, 2014-2015).

The last Frenchman to collect the Golden Shoe was Thierry Henry, who won it in 2004 and 2005 with Arsenal.

Mbappe could have been caught on Sunday, while he was in Monaco watching the Formula One Grand Prix.

Mohammed Salah, who needed a hat-trick in English champions Liverpool’s last league game, scored once to finish third with 29 goals.

Agencies