CHICAGO (AP) — Robert Lewandowski, the former Barcelona striker and Poland's all-time leading scorer, is coming to Major League Soccer to play for the Chicago Fire.
The Fire announced a two-year contract with Lewandowski on Monday, pending finalization of his visa and international transfer certificate.
Lewandowski joins a Chicago team that ranks third in the Eastern Conference with 26 points over 14 games at the league's break for the World Cup. The
franchise also opened a new training center last year and is moving forward with the construction of McDonald's Park, a soccer-specific stadium slated to open in 2028.
Lewandowski, who will turn 38 on Aug. 21, could play his first game with his new team on July 16 against Vancouver. He helped Barcelona win three La Liga championships in four seasons, including this year, and one title at Copa del Rey, Spain's national tournament. He scored 119 goals in 192 appearances with the club.
Lewandowski bid an emotional farewell to Camp Nou stadium on May 17, when he was thrown into the air by his teammates after a 3-1 victory over Real Betis. They also lined up and applauded Lewandowski as he went toward the locker room.
Lewandowski left Bayern Munich for Barcelona on a $52 million transfer in 2022. He scored 312 goals in 384 Bundesliga games for Bayern and previous club Borussia Dortmund, winning 10 championships in Germany's top league.
Lewandowski also has played a record 167 international games for Poland, beginning with a goal in his debut against San Marino in 2008, when he was 20. His 89 goals are nearly twice as many as any other Polish player, but he has only qualified for the World Cup twice, with a best result of reaching the round of 16 in 2022.
He hinted at international retirement after Poland failed to make this year's World Cup. Poland’s next scheduled games are in the Nations League in September.
Lewandowski will be a designated player, one of three roster spots MLS teams can use to exceed the salary cap. His contract will run through the 2027-28 season, including the rest of 2026 and the 2027 mini-season next spring before the league shifts to a summer-to-spring schedule to match the European system.
“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,” Fire coach Gregg Berhalter said. ”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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