Robert Lewandowski: “I wanted to join Manchester United”

Robert Lewandowski has revealed that, 12 years ago, he wanted to join Manchester United around the time of his move to Borussia Dortmund.

In the last decade, Robert Lewandowski has established himself as one of the best strikers to ever don a football shirt.

He has won numerous accolades across multiple clubs and is currently spearheading Barcelona‘s campaign to win their first La Liga trophy in half a decade.

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Speaking to Sport Bild on Wednesday, he recalled a story in which Sir Alex Ferguson tried to sign him around the time of his move to Germany, 12 years ago.

“I remember the moment exactly,” he said via Sport Witness. “We had a friendly with Dortmund in preparation, I think against Bochum. I was subbed at half-time. I looked at my mobile phone in the dressing room.

“There was a text message with the sender +44. Ferguson had tried to call me and then sent me a message. He wanted to talk to me.

“I was still in the dressing room, I took a shower and called him back, in a quiet corner. My English wasn’t as good as it is today. He has a strong Scottish accent. I was so focused on understanding what he meant!

“Alex Ferguson tried to be considerate, spoke slowly. I was 22 years old, it was a special moment. I spoke to Aki Watzke and Jürgen Klopp in the camp. I wanted to go to Man United! But they said: ‘No chance, Robert. We need you. You have to stay’.”

Ultimately, the move did not happen and he stayed at Dortmund where he scored 103 goals in 187 games, before moving to Bayern Munich after four years at BVB.

He then scored a further 344 goals across 375 games for the German champions, as well as assisting a further 72 goals before signing for Barcelona.

Manchester United recently faced Robert Lewandowski in the Europa League in a thrilling 4-3 two-legged victory.

Had he signed for Manchester United 12 years ago, the club may not have had as many goalscoring problems as they have in the last decade… but that’s another timeline.