Robert Lewandowski Reflects on Career Choices and Influences
Many football fans are familiar with the story of the volcanic ash cloud that thwarted Robert Lewandowski's potential transfer to Blackburn Rovers, but there was another English club that the striker wishes he had joined.
"I decided and said yes to Manchester United," Lewandowski told BBC Sport. "I wanted to join Manchester United to see Alex Ferguson."
The opportunity to move to the Red Devils arose in 2012, during a prolific scoring period at Borussia Dortmund, two years after the volcanic eruption in Iceland disrupted his Blackburn transfer.
However, the German club was reluctant to part with their star striker. "They could not sell me," Lewandowski explained. "They knew that if I stayed, they could earn more money, and I could wait maybe one or two more years. But it is true that I said yes to Manchester United."
Although that transfer did not come to fruition, Lewandowski has since enjoyed a remarkable career at some of Europe's top clubs, winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich and La Liga twice with his current club, Barcelona.
At 37, he has no immediate plans to retire, yet he acknowledges that an opportunity in the Premier League has likely passed him by. In a comprehensive interview with Liam MacDevitt, Lewandowski remarked, "Maybe it could be a regret not to play in the Premier League. However, looking back at my time with Bayern Munich, Dortmund, and now Barcelona, I am very happy with my career. I don't feel like I've missed out on anything, as every move or decision was one I wanted to make."
Lewandowski, who has scored over 700 career goals for club and country, is preparing for his 22nd season as a professional.
Now a seasoned presence in a youthful Barcelona squad featuring exceptional talents like Lamine Yamal, the Poland international believes he still has much to contribute. "When I see that I still don't have to catch the young guys, but they have to catch me, it means this next season can also be very good," he stated. "I am still here to deliver my best performance."
Despite being 19 years older than Yamal, Lewandowski feels he is still learning from younger players. "I realized that I cannot compete with them, but I can help them, and they can help me," he said. "I learn a lot from them; I didn't expect it to happen this way."
Yamal is widely regarded as a future superstar, and Lewandowski recognized his exceptional talent from the moment he trained with the first team at just 15 years old. "For the first time in my life, after 50 minutes, I saw that he had something special," he remarked. "I couldn't believe it, as I had never seen a player like that at such a young age. I thought it was impossible at 15."
As the latest Ballon d'Or nominees are revealed, Lewandowski reflects on how close he came to winning the prestigious award.
He was among the favorites for the 2020 edition, which was ultimately canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A year later, he finished as runner-up to Lionel Messi, despite having a record-breaking season with 41 league goals, for which he was named striker of the year. "I was at the best moment of my career, having won everything with my club," he said. "The difficult part is that I still don’t know why it didn't happen."
When discussing this year's potential winners, Lewandowski noted, "There are so many players now who can win the Ballon d'Or. Lamine Yamal's season was incredible, but ultimately it depends on what is most important. He still has plenty of time; if not this year, maybe next year. Raphinha also had an amazing season. We have players who can be among the favorites for such an honor."
Lewandowski has played under several prominent managers throughout his career, with Hansi Flick currently at the helm, having previously led him during his successful tenure at Bayern Munich.
However, it was former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, under whom Lewandowski played at Dortmund, who had the most significant impact on his career. "When I moved to Dortmund, I was very young. I lost my father when I was 16, and I was more closed off; I didn't want to talk about my emotions," he shared. "After a few years, I met someone who was not exactly like a father, but similar. Perhaps after so many years, the kind of conversation I missed with my father, I had with Jurgen. I remember that conversation clearly because it changed my life and my football career. I was able to express my emotions, and after that, I felt a sense of freedom. Maybe that was why I started to play better and better."