Chicago Fire Acquires Global Soccer Icon Robert Lewandowski Through 2027-28 Season

The Chicago Fire on Monday officially announced their acquisition of Robert Lewandowski through to the 2027-28 season. Poland’s record goalscorer will occupy a designated player slot pending the approval of his visa as well as the completion of an international transfer certificate. The club described Lewandowski, 37, as “a global soccer icon” in social media posts. He was a free agent after spending the last four seasons with Barcelona, scoring 83 goals with 19 assists in 134 league matches (114 starts) while contributing to three La Liga titles. He spent the previous 12 seasons in Germany’s Bundesliga, playing for Dortmund (2010-14) and Bayern Munich (2014-22), contributing to 10 league titles and a Champions League win in 2020. His 344 goals across all competitions over eight Bayern Munich seasons are the second-most in club history, behind Gerd Müller. Lewandowski was considered the frontrunner to win the Ballon d’Or in 2020 but the award was not given out that year because of the pandemic. He finished second in Ballon d’Or voting in 2021 and won the Best Fifa men’s player award in 2020 and 2021. He is easily Poland’s all-time leader in international appearances (167) and goals (89), appearing in each of the last four European Championships and the past two World Cups, before Poland failed to qualify for 2026. His 697 total goals for club and country since his debut in 2008 are the seventh-most in history and the third-most among active players, behind Cristiano Ronaldo (975) and Lionel Messi (917).