Lewandowski: I was ‘ready’ to make Man Utd move

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 17 May 2021 21:15 BST
• 2 min read

Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has revealed that Manchester United once carried an interest in him – but that it was not necessarily reciprocated.

Lewandowski has enjoyed a remarkable 18 months, which saw him score 55 goals in 47 outings for FCB last season. He has maintained that level this time around, netting 20 times in just 18 matches.

This form allowed him to win FIFA’s The Best Male Player award last week.

Lewandowski’s career, though, could have taken a very different path when he was still turning out with Borussia Dortmund.

Back in 2012, after netting 30 times in 47 matches for BVB, he was approached by Manchester United.

“After my second year in Dortmund, I had talks with Sir Alex Ferguson. He wanted me to come to Manchester,” Lewandowski, who joined Bayern in 2014, told France Football.

“At that time I was very interested, I can even say that I was ready to go. But Dortmund didn’t want to let me go. It didn’t bother me more than that because things were going so well with Borussia…”

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I’m not at Messi and Ronaldo’s level – Lewandowski

Despite his red-hot form, he is reticent to place himself in the same bracket as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have won the Ballon d’Or on six and five occasions respectively.

Asked if he felt he were “at the same table as them”, as Antoine Griezmann claimed he was in 2018, the Poland international replied: “They’ve been sitting at the same table, at the top, for a very long time and that makes them incomparable. So to answer your question, I can’t imagine myself next to them from this point of view.

“But, if you take the numbers for this year and even the previous one, I think I’m pretty good in terms of performance and goals scored.

“Failing to be at the same table as Messi and Ronaldo, I think I can at least invite them to eat at mine!”

Bayern finished their 2020 calendar on Saturday with a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen, Lewandowski rounding out his remarkable year with a 93rd-minute winner.