Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has revealed he was close to joining Manchester United during Sir Alex Ferguson's reign, and explained why the move did not materialise.
The Polish star, shared the untold story during an appearance on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. The move could have happened in 2012, a season after United narrowly lost the Premier League title to Manchester City on goal difference.
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Lewandowski, who was lighting up the Bundesliga at Borussia Dortmund at the time, confirmed Ferguson personally reached out to him to secure his services.
"I remember one conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson. That was in 2012," Lewandowski said per Sportskeeda. "I decided to join Manchester United. Before pre-season, we were playing some games. I knew that he (Fergie) was going to call me.
"At half-time, I was subbed off because I knew I was playing 45 minutes. I had the call. And that time, my English was on a different level. Of course, I knew what I should tell him.
"Yeah, of course, 'I want to join Manchester United.'"
Despite agreeing to the move, Dortmund's hierarchy intervened, with the then-club president insisting Lewandowski was too vital to the team's success.
"I also remember the conversation with the president of Dortmund," he explained. "He said to me, they need me. They're not going to sell me to Manchester United because I'm so important for them.
"But at that time, I said yes, yeah, that's true. I said yes to joining Manchester United, because if Sir Alex Ferguson calls you, you cannot say no.
"Especially when I was 22 or 23 years old. And at that time I was playing for Dortmund, and I was happy, but Manchester United were the prime of Manchester United."
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Lewandowski's journey ultimately took him to Bayern Munich in 2014, where he enjoyed legendary success, scoring 344 goals in 375 appearances and winning numerous domestic and European honours.
He joined Barcelona in 2022 and has continued to showcase his brilliance, netting 78 goals and providing 19 assists in 112 matches for the Catalan giants.