Lewandowski joins Chicago Fire on free transfer after Barcelona contract expires

Robert Lewandowski has joined Chicago Fire on a free transfer after his contract at Barcelona expired, ending a four-year spell in which the Polish striker scored 120 goals in 153 appearances for the Catalan club.

The 37-year-old, who had been linked with a return to European football, instead chose to cross the Atlantic, signing a one-year deal with the MLS side. Chicago has one of the largest Polish communities outside Poland, and the club’s announcement was met with considerable fanfare — Lewandowski’s signing was displayed on the board outside Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, while a local restaurant gave away 100 free polish hotdogs in celebration and the Chicago Bulls posted a welcome message for the striker.

Chicago Fire director of football and head coach Gregg Berhalter welcomed the signing in emphatic terms. “From the day Joe Mansueto and I met for the first time, we set out to build a world-class Club that inspires greatness, unites Chicago and wins championships,” he said. “Robert embodies those values and represents the standards this city deserves: a champion and a competitor. His arrival reinforces our ambition to compete for trophies and raises the standards for the Club to heights worthy of this city.”

Lewandowski’s move to Illinois coincides with Chicago Fire opening their new stadium, McDonald’s Park, with the club’s state-of-the-art Endeavor Health Performance Center having opened only last year.

The Pole departs European football as one of the great strikers of his generation. Before joining Barcelona in 2022, he scored 344 goals for Bayern Munich and claimed a Champions League winners’ medal. He was widely considered the frontrunner for the 2020 Ballon d’Or, an award that was not presented that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lewandowski may not be the only high-profile European departure heading to MLS this summer. Casemiro, whose contract at Manchester United has recently expired, has been linked with a move to the United States.