Chicago Fire have confirmed the signing of Poland striker Robert Lewandowski following his departure from Barcelona.
The 37-year-old was a free agent after his deal at Camp Nou expired and had been linked with several clubs in Major League Soccer.
The Fire won the race and Lewandowski will occupy a Designated Player spot and an international roster spot having agreed a two-year contract.
“From the day [Fire owner] 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. Robert embodies those values and represents the standards this city deserves: a champion and a competitor,” said Gregg Berhalter, Chicago FC director of football and head coach.
“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.”
Lewandowski a serial winner with Bayern Munich and Barcelona
The Fire are third in the Eastern Conference and will hope Lewandowski will help them to a better finish than last season when they lost in Round One of the playoffs to the Philadelphia Union.
Lewandowski has enjoyed a fantastic career in Europe after making his name with Borussia Dortmund, with whom he won two Bundesliga titles and reached the 2013 Champions League final where they lost to Bayern Munich.
He joined Bayern that summer and enjoyed a remarkable eight-year spell at the Allianz Arena, scoring 344 goals in 375 goals as the club clinched the Bundesliga title in all eight seasons as well as the 2020 Champions League.
Lewandowski left Germany for Barca in 2022 and helped himself to another three league titles in Catalonia.
