Lewandowski: I said yes to Man Utd in 2012

Robert Lewandowski has confirmed he was ready to join Manchester United in 2012 after a phone call from Sir Alex Ferguson. “To Manchester United I decided and said yes,” he told BBC Sport. “I wanted to join Manchester United, to see Alex Ferguson.”

At the time, Lewandowski was thriving at Borussia Dortmund, but the club refused to sell him. “They knew if I stayed they could earn more money,” he said. The striker eventually moved to Bayern Munich in 2014, winning multiple titles before joining Barcelona in 2022.

Ballon d’Or Heartbreak

Lewandowski was widely expected to win the 2020 Ballon d’Or after scoring 55 goals and winning the treble with Bayern Munich. However, the award was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, he finished second to Lionel Messi, who acknowledged Lewandowski deserved the 2020 prize. “I was in the best moment of my career,” Lewandowski said. “I won everything with my club. I still don’t know why I didn’t win.”

Mentoring Barcelona’s Young Stars

Now 37, Lewandowski is mentoring Barcelona’s rising talents, including 17-year-old Lamine Yamal. “I learn from them a lot,” he said. “I understood that I cannot fight with them but I can help them and they can also help me.”

He recalled being stunned by Yamal’s talent during a training session when the winger was just 15. “It was the first time I saw a kid who impressed me like this,” he said. “He plays as if he were seven years older than he is.”

Klopp’s Life-Changing Conversation

Lewandowski credits Jurgen Klopp with changing his career during their time at Dortmund. After a poor run of form, he approached Klopp for a late-night chat. “We spoke for one-and-a-half hours,” he said. “It was like speaking to my father. I felt freedom after that.”

Three days later, Lewandowski scored a hat-trick and provided an assist in a 4–0 win. “That conversation opened up something inside me,” he said.