Lewandowski on failed Man United transfer: I wanted move in 2012
Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski has revealed he wanted to sign for Manchester United in 2012 to work under coach Sir Alex Ferguson.
The move to Old Trafford, however, did not materialise as his then club Borussia Dortmund blocked the transfer.
Lewandowski would go on to sign for Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014 as a free agent.
“To Manchester United I decided and said yes,” he told the BBC . “I wanted to join Manchester United, to see Alex Ferguson.
“They [Dortmund] could not sell me because they knew if I stayed they could earn more money, and that I could wait maybe one or two more years. But it is true that I said yes to Manchester United.”
Lewandowski, who had also been a Blackburn Rovers target before he arrived at Dortmund from Lech Poznan in 2010, has mixed feelings about not playing in the Premier League.
“Maybe it could be a regret [not to play in the Premier League],” he said. “But when I am looking back [having] played for Bayern Munich, Dortmund and now Barcelona I have to say I am very happy with my career.”
Lewandowski had a stellar career in Germany. He left Bayern as the club’s second-highest scorer of all time behind Gerd Muller with 344 goals. He won the Bundesliga in all eight of his seasons at Bayern and also won the Champions League in 2019-20.
Success has followed at Barça, where he has lifted two LaLiga titles, two Spanish Super Cups and one Copa del Rey in three seasons at the club.
“I don’t have this kind of feeling that I missed something, because every move or decision … I made because I wanted it,” he said.
Lewandowski, who last season joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi as the only players in Champions League history with 100 or more goals, is embarking on his 22nd season as professional.
He is still motivated to carry on competing with the young players.
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“When I see that I still don’t have to catch the young guys, that they still have to catch me, it means this next season can also be very good,” Lewandowski, who will turn 37 in August, said.
“I am still there to show the best performance from myself. I understood that I cannot fight with them but I can help them and they can also help me. I learn from them a lot. I didn’t think it would happen like that.”
Lamine Yamal is one of the youngsters leading the way at Barça. Lewandowski, is not surprised by Yamal’s meteoric success having already seen how special he was when the Spaniard first trained with the first team in 2022.
“It is the first time in my life I saw after 50 minutes that he had something special,” Lewandowski said. “I didn’t believe it because I didn’t see this kind of player at this age — I thought this is impossible at 15.”
Yamal, 18, is among the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or award this year.
“Yamal’s season was incredible but in the end it depends what is most important,” he said. “He still has a lot of time, if not this year maybe next year.”