‘Genuinely Crazy'—How Chicago Fire Convinced Robert Lewandowski to Head to MLS

Joining Major League Soccer wasn’t the former Barcelona striker’s initial priority.

Robert Lewandowski signed a two-year contract in the Windy City. | Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images

Robert Lewandowski’s agent has revealed that a move to MLS wasn’t actually the Pole’s first choice this summer, but the Chicago Fire’s “genuinely crazy” desire to agree a deal was a contributing factor in the move becoming a reality.

Pini Zahavi said his client “wanted to stay” at Barcelona in January 2026 when there was an offer to go to Saudi Arabia worth $114 million (€100 million) per season. But, at that stage, Lewandowski was still “waiting for Barça” to decide their position on his future.

The Pole’s contract was expiring at the end of June, but the club was ultimately unable to offer him the assurances that he wanted about being a starter.

“In January 2026, Robert had a two-year offer on the table worth €100 million per season. He didn’t accept it because he wanted to stay at Barça. That offer was only available in the winter transfer window; he couldn’t have it in the summer,” Zahavi said, via AS.

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A Key Reason in Lewandowski’s Priorities Being Elsewhere

Barcelona did not give Lewandowski what he wanted. | Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images

Barcelona’s decision came from manager Hansi Flick and sporting director Deco, rather than president Joan Laporta, who Zahavi said “truly adores” Lewandowski and wanted him to stay through 2027. “Deco and Hansi Flick are the ones who decide the squad. And they couldn’t guarantee Robert a starting place, something that was more important to him than even money.”

On where the next chapter would lead him, Zahavi claims he made Lewandowski aware that the €228 million (€200 million) offer from Saudi Arabia—$114 million per season for two years—would not still be on the table come the summer. At that stage, Saudi Arabia was more preferable than moving to the United States, largely because of the “convenience” it promised. 

“Robert wanted to play in Saudi Arabia, mainly because of the convenience of living there: the small time difference between Riyadh and Warsaw and the shorter distance to Poland compared to the United States,” Zahavi said.

“I told him that he wouldn't have that offer in the summer, but he decided to wait.”

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How Chicago Eventually Wooed Lewandowski

Chicago as a city appealed to Lewandowski. | KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP/Getty Images

In the end, Lewandowski did choose MLS and Chicago. According to Zahavi, it was the way the club went about approaching the 37-year-old star that stood out.

“The Fire’s management fought harder than anyone else for him. It’s rare for a team to want a player that much,” he explained.

“It’s hard to imagine: they were patient, determined, and creative. They did everything they could to convince Lewandowski. Everything! They weren’t pretending; they were genuinely crazy about him. And they offered him the second-highest contract in MLS, second only to Leo Messi's. Chicago really wanted Robert.”

When he first arrived and spoke with reporters, Lewandowski revealed that the city itself had stood out to him—specifically, its massive Polish community. It’s estimated almost 900,000 people of Polish descent live in the Chicagoland area, the largest such metropolitan community of Poles anywhere in the world outside of Poland.

“When I came here [to Chicago] I was impressed how it looks—not only the capacity of the club, but also the city, the people,” Lewandowski said.

“I know that a lot of Polish people are living in Chicago. A lot. It means also for me, for my family, that I can meet Polish people is also something interesting and I know that for them it’s so important because it’s the connection between the USA or Chicago and Poland that is very, very important.”

So while Poland might be much geographically closer to Riyadh than the American midwest, it turns out Chicago actually feels a lot more like home.

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