Barcelona ace reveals how close he came to joining Manchester United | OneFootball

Now in his third season with the Catalan club, Robert Lewandowski’s move to FC Barcelona is proving to be a resounding success for both the player and the team.

When the Polish striker first arrived at the Blaugrana, there were questions surrounding his age and whether he could maintain the exceptional level of performance he had consistently displayed during his years in Germany.

In Germany, the Polish striker first made his name with Borussia Dortmund, as he made 187 appearances, scoring 103 goals and providing 42 assists. Then he moved to Bayern Munich where he became one of the best strikers in Europe, having scored 344 goals in 375 appearances.

However, his career could have turned out significantly differently. As SPORT has reported, the Barcelona striker appeared in a podcast with the Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand, and talked about his proposed move to the English club when he was still quite young.

The Pole revealed how Sir Alex Ferguson himself called him to convince him of a move: “Oh, a lot… I knew what I had to say to him. Yes, of course, I want to join Manchester United, yes. Can you repeat it again? Yes, yes, of course, of course.”

When Ferdinand asked him why he did not join Manchester United, the Barcelona star replied:

“Ask the club… I also remember the conversation with Dortmund’s president. He told me they needed me. They wouldn’t allow me to sign for Manchester United because I was very important to them, and it wasn’t the perfect time.’”

In this podcast, Lewandowski once admitted that he was willing to join the Red Devils:

“Yes, of course. But that time, I said yes, yes, it’s true. I said yes to signing for Manchester United because if Sir Alex Ferguson calls you, you can’t say no. Especially when you’re 22 or 23 years old and a club of Manchester United’s caliber calls you.”

However, fate had other things in store for the Pole, as he joined Bayern Munich two years after this episode. Now, he is enjoying a highly productive last phase of his top-level career at Barcelona, and hopefully, he will be able to play at his current level for years to come.