FC Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski revealed how he once agreed to join Manchester United over a … [+] decade ago while appearing on the appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
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FC Barcelona star Robert Lewandowski revealed how he once agreed to join Manchester United while appearing on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
The Pole has been at Barca since 2022, after the Catalans paid Bayern Munich a reported $52 million (€50 million) fee for his services.
A decade before that, however, while still at his last club before Bayern which was the Bavarians’ main domestic rival Borussia Dortmund, the number 9 gave his word to then-Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson about making a Premier League switch as he told Ferdinand.
“I remember one conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson, you know, for example. That was 2012,” Lewandowski recalled.
Then asked if he “almost signed for United”, Lewandowski said that he “decided to join” the Mancunians.
“I remember the conversation that was in the… Before pre-season, we were playing some games… I knew that he’s going to call to me. And at half-time, I was subbed off because I knew that I was playing 45 minutes. I had the call.
“And that time, you know, my English, you know, that was on a different level. And even … especially if I’m going to speak with this kind of guy that Sir Alex Ferguson is calling me, and I’m calling him now.
Lewandowski admitted that he was “very” nervous about getting on the phone to the Scot.
“And, you know, he’s going to speak easy English, yeah? And he called … ‘Hello, my name is Robert Lewandowski’. ‘Yeah, hi, hi’….You know, this Scottish accent!
“‘Yes, yes, of course’. I knew what I should tell him, you know. ‘Yeah, of course, I want to join Manchester United, yeah’.
“‘Can you repeat again?’ … ‘Yes, yes, of course, of course’.
Questioned on why he didn’t sign for Manchester United in the end then, Lewandowski insisted it wasn’t about money or rather his salary demands.
“Ask the club, you know. No, I remember that time… I remember also the conversation with the president of Dortmund. He said to me, they need [me].
“They’re not going to [sell] me to Manchester United because I’m so important for them. And it’s not the perfect time now. So, yeah. But that time I said ‘Yes, yeah, that’s true’.
“I said yes to join Manchester United because if Sir Alex Ferguson calls you, you cannot say no, you know. Especially when I was 22 or 23 years old. And, you know, that time I was playing for Dortmund. You know, I was happy, but Manchester United [were at] like the prime of Manchester United, you know.
“What a team we would have had, man. Jesus,” Ferdinand lamented.
Of course the move never came off, with Lewandowski instead fleeing to Bayern on a free transfer in 2013 following a Champions League defeat to them with Dortmund, and in turn becoming one of the world’s greatest strikers that only missed out on the Ballon d’Or at the turn of the decade thanks to Covid.
Now aged 36 and back to his best, he currently leads Spain’s top scorer ranks as Barca enjoys a six-point lead over arch nemesis Real Madrid at the La Liga summit.
