Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire made a blockbuster announcement Monday, confirming the signing of Polish striker Robert Lewandowski on a contract that extends through the 2027-28 season.
The prolific forward is trading Barcelona’s Camp Nou for Chicago’s Soldier Field, where he will fill a Designated Player slot and an international roster position — provided he receives his P-1 visa and International Transfer Certificate, according to the club.
Lewandowski’s numbers speak for themselves. During four seasons with Barcelona alone, he found the back of the net 120 times. Across his career with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund combined, the 37-year-old has scored a staggering 567 goals in all competitions, while also accumulating 30 trophies among those three clubs.
On the international stage, Lewandowski captains Poland, has made 167 appearances for his country, and has scored 89 international goals.
Chicago Fire head coach Gregg Berhalter expressed his excitement about bringing such a decorated player to the club.
“From the day (club 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,” Berhalter said in a statement.
“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.”
“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.”
The signing comes at a promising moment for the Fire, who currently sit third in the Eastern Conference with 26 points through 14 games — seven points behind conference leaders Nashville.
