Robert Lewandowski Becomes Latest Soccer Legend in MLS

Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire confirmed on Monday that the deal to sign former FC Barcelona star striker Robert Lewandowski is complete. The Polish front-man will join the club on a two-year contract that runs through the 2027–28 season, occupying Designated Player and international roster spots for the Fire.

Lewandowski left Barcelona as a free agent this spring after four seasons in which he scored 120 goals across all competitions. Prior to that, he had highly successful stints with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, the latter of which he represented for eight seasons. Throughout his entire career, the 37-year-old has scored 629 goals and tallied 159 assists in 869 games across all competitions.

“It feels amazing,” manager Gregg Berhalter said on the Up & Adams Show. “We want to build a world-class organization, and you need world-class players to do that.”

Berhalter added, in the club’s official statement: “His arrival reinforces our ambition to compete for trophies and raises the standards for the Club to heights worthy of this city. We cannot wait to get to work with him and have Chicago see first-hand why he is among the most revered sporting icons in the world.”

The Fire intend to debut the striker on July 16 against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Soldier Field, the first match back from the summer international break. Lewandowski’s capabilities will immediately be put to the test, as the Whitecaps—starring Berhalter’s own son, Sebastian—rank first in the Western Conference with just one loss all season.

The Fire Finally Secure Their Superstar

Robert Lewandowski — Lewandowski scored 14 times in La Liga this season. | Ricardo Larreina/Europa Press/Getty Images

Inter Miami have Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul. The Whitecaps have Thomas Müller, Lewandowski’s former Bayern Munich teammate.

LAFC have Son Heung Min, and now Orlando City have Antoine Griezmann, who was spotted kicking around the team’s facilities just this week.

The Fire have been big fish hunting, trying to join the bandwagon of signing soccer legends for a while. It took several failed attempts, losing out to both Brazilian superstar Neymar and Müller last year, but the club finally caught one.

Berhalter has been experimenting with a two-striker system and believes Lewandowski will slide into it seamlessly, playing alongside current star forward Hugo Cuypers and wreaking havoc for opponents.

“That’s something we are looking forward to seeing,” Berhalter said. “If you’re an opposing defense and you have to go against Robert Lewandowski and Hugo Cuypers, you’re probably going to be in for a long day.”

More than anything, though, Berhalter is excited about Lewandowski’s track record of winning. He has hoisted 32 trophies in his career, including 10 Bundesliga crowns, three La Liga titles, one FIFA Club World Cup and one UEFA Champions League title.

“Everywhere he’s gone, he’s scored goals, but more importantly, everywhere he’s gone, he’s won.”

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