"Of course, this is a big opportunity to be the person who can lead on the pitch" - Robert Lewandowski offers opinion on taking up leadership role like Lionel Messi at Barcelona

Lionel Messi's departure left a huge hole in Barcelona's squad. It was quite obvious last season as the Blaugrana endured one of their worst outings in recent years. Next term, however, the Catalan giants will have Robert Lewandowski to lead them on the pitch and the striker sees it as a massive opportunity.

Robert Lewandowski joined Barcelona from Bayern Munich this summer in a deal worth €45 million + €5 million in add-ons. The striker, who is currently with the rest of the squad on their American tour, is looking forward to being the difference maker for the team, just like Lionel Messi was during his time at the club.

He told ESPN:

"Of course, this is a big opportunity to be the person who can lead on the pitch with body language, to show the guys it doesn't matter how many goals we have already scored, we can score even more.

"To always think positively, always play forward, to try to do something more to push and work even harder than before."

Following some decent moves in the transfer market this summer, Barcelona now have a highly competitive squad ready to be unleashed next season, with new signings looking hungry and existing players determined to give more.

After training with the group for just a few days, Lewandowski has already spotted the determination of his new teammates and hopes that they'll be able to walk the talk when the campaign kicks off.

The Pole continued:

"I see already in Barcelona that there are players who are thinking about how to do even more.

"Sometimes it is not exactly the words. What you say is important, but more important is how you show your body language. What you're going to do, what you expect for yourself as well, and that's why I'm ready to be here to show my performance.

"Also I know that my teammates are ready to follow, not only follow me but follow the way we're going to be at the end of this season."

Will Robert Lewandowski surpass Lionel Messi at Barcelona?

Without being disrespectful to Lewandowski, Messi's legacy at Barca is simply untouchable. But that won't stop the former Bayern Munich striker from marking his own era at the club.

Considering his incredible goalscoring knack and big-game pedigree, the 33-year-old has what it takes to write a beautiful new chapter in the club's history. With the quality present at Camp Nou at the moment, he'll also get enough support to get the job done.