Robert Lewandowski, Poland’s all-time leading scorer and former Barcelona striker, is heading to Major League Soccer to join the Chicago Fire.
The Fire confirmed a two-year contract with the 37-year-old on Monday, with the deal pending finalisation of his visa and international transfer certificate.
Lewandowski arrives at a club sitting third in the Eastern Conference, having accumulated 26 points across 14 games before the league’s break for the World Cup.
The franchise is also in the midst of a significant infrastructure push, having opened a new training centre last year and moving forward with the construction of McDonald’s Park, a soccer-specific stadium scheduled to open in 2028.
The Polish legend, who turns 38 on August 21, could make his debut for his new club as early as July 16 in a fixture against Vancouver.
During his time at Barcelona, Lewandowski helped the club win three La Liga championships in four seasons, including this year, along with one Copa del Rey title, scoring 119 goals in 192 appearances.
His farewell to Camp Nou on May 17 was an emotional one, as teammates threw him into the air following a 3-1 victory over Real Betis and formed a guard of honour as he walked toward the locker room.
Before joining Barcelona in a $52 million transfer in 2022, Lewandowski had spent years at Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, scoring 312 goals in 384 Bundesliga appearances and winning 10 championships in Germany’s top league.
On the international stage, Lewandowski has played a record 167 games for Poland, netting 89 goals since his debut against San Marino in 2008, a tally nearly twice that of any other Polish player in history.
He hinted at international retirement after Poland failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup, with the nation’s next competitive fixtures scheduled for the Nations League in September.
In Chicago, Lewandowski will occupy a designated player slot, one of three roster positions MLS clubs can use to exceed the salary cap, with his contract running through the 2027-28 season.
Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter expressed his excitement about the signing, saying, “We set out to build a world-class club that inspires greatness, unites Chicago and wins championships. Robert embodies those values and represents the standards this city deserves: a champion and a competitor.”
Berhalter added, “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.”
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