'Even though he’s 34, he looks like he’s 20' - Pedri hails Lewandowski after Barcelona brace

Barcelona midfielder Pedri has paid tribute to new signing Robert Lewandowski after the Poland international opened his La Liga account for the Catalan giants in a 4-1 win over Real Sociedad on Sunday. Lewandowski took just 46 seconds to score his first league goal for his new club on his 34th birthday. The striker then added a second after the break as Xavi's side picked up a first win of the new campaign.

Ousmane Dembele and Ansu Fati were also on target for the visitors whose La Liga campaign is now up and running after starting off with a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Rayo Vallecano.

What has Pedri said about Lewandowski?

Pedri spoke to Movistar after the win at the Reale Arena about Lewandowski's goalscoring ability and willingness to work for the team.

“Even though he’s 34, he looks like he’s 20," he said. "It’s crazy how many goals he scores and, above all, how he works for the team, he helps us a lot."

Lewandowski also shared his thoughts after the match and feels Xavi's new-look side can only improve as the season progresses.

"It's just a question of time until we understand each other better and I think we are getting there," he added.

"It's a great team with young players and others who have more experience and we try to give advice."

46 - Robert Lewandowski has scored Barcelona's earliest LaLiga goal since Iniesta vs Recreativo in 2009 (43), the earliest away goal in the competition since Saviola vs Valladolid in 2004 (30) and the earliest of his 313 goals in BL and LaLiga combined. Pistolero. pic.twitter.com/Xnr5xHVP1V

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) August 21, 2022

Lewandowski the 'present and future' of Barca

Barcelona coach Xavi also spoke about Lewandowski after his side's victory and thinks the striker still has plenty of years left at the top of the game.

"Everyone has seen that Lewandowski can make a difference," he said.

"He's an example for the team because of the sacrifices he has made. He is a player for the present and the future.

Lewandowski signed a four-year contract with Barcelona this summer when he arrived from Bayern Munich for a fee of €45 million (£38m/$45m), plus a further €5m (£4.3m/$5m) in potential add-ons.