Widely seen as one of the best strikers in the world, Robert Lewandowski spent most of his career in Germany before heading to Barcelona.
He burst onto the scene with great performances at Borussia Dortmund, which caught the eye of Manchester United at a time when Sir Alex Ferguson was still in charge of the club, before his retirement, which kicked off a far tougher era for the Red Devils.
Well, it appears that the legendary Manchester United manager tried to sign the Poland international 12 years ago, as recalled by the player himself in an interview with Sport Bild on Wednesday.
Asked about the moment Ferguson contacted him and his feelings about it, Lewandowski said: “I remember the moment exactly. 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.”
This will have come soon after his initial transfer from Lech Poznan, which saw the now 34-year-old stay in Dortmund for four years, during which he scored 103 goals in 187 games.
He then moved to Bayern Munich, where he played 375 games and scored 344 goals, as well as picked up 72 assists before heading to Barcelona this summer in a €45m transfer.
Manchester United never got a chance to acquire the player, and simply had to watch from afar as he excelled in Germany for 12 years.
Not for lack of trying, mind.
