Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has revealed that he wanted to move to Manchester United in 2012 to play under manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Idman.biz reports that the move did not materialize because the Polish player's then club, Borussia Dortmund, did not allow the transfer.
Lewandowski joined Bayern in the summer of 2014 as a free agent. The experienced footballer recalled those years in an interview with the BBC: "I had made the decision to move to Manchester United. I wanted to work with Alex Ferguson. Dortmund did not sell me because they understood that if I stayed, they could earn more money. They knew I could wait another year or two. But it's true that I said 'yes' to Manchester United."
Before Lewandowski moved from Poland's Lech Poznan to Borussia Dortmund in 2010, he was also in the sights of England's Blackburn Rovers. He stated that he had mixed feelings about not playing in the Premier League during his career: "Maybe there could be regret. But looking back, I have played for clubs like Bayern, Borussia Dortmund and now Barcelona, so I am very satisfied with my career."
Lewandowski has had a brilliant career in Germany. With 344 goals for Bayern, he is the second most prolific player in club history after Gerd Müller. He was Bundesliga champion in all 8 seasons he spent in Munich and won the Champions League in the 2019/20 season.
Successful performances continued in Barcelona - where he won 2 La Liga titles, 2 Spanish Super Cups and 1 Spanish Cup in three seasons: "I have never felt that I have missed something. Because I made every decision with my own desire."
Last season, Lewandowski joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, becoming one of the players in Champions League history to score 100 or more goals. He is currently starting his 22nd season of his professional career.
The Polish footballer, who will turn 37 this month, still feels motivated to compete with young players: "If I see that they are still trying to catch me, not me catching them - that means that the upcoming season can also be successful.
I'm still here to give my best performance. I understand that I can't fight the youth, but I can help them and they can help me. I learn a lot from them. I never thought it would be like this."
Speaking about Barcelona's shining star Lamine Yamal, Lewandowski saw his talent back in 2022 during his first training session with the first team: "It was the first time in my life that after 50 minutes I understood - he has something special. I didn't believe it, because I had never seen such a football player at this age - I thought it was not possible at the age of 15."
Currently, 18-year-old Yamal is one of the main candidates to win the Golden Ball award this year: "Yamal's season was incredible. He also has a lot of time, maybe he can win the award next year, even if it's not this year."
Idman.biz