"Chicago Fire FC today announced its acquisition of global football icon and Poland’s all-time leading goal scorer Robert Lewandowski as a Designated Player," the Chicago Fire said in a statement.
"The prolific striker arrives in Major League Soccer (MLS) with one of the most decorated careers in the sport, having tallied more than 700 goals for his national team and top European clubs, most recently with FC Barcelona, where he helped the club capture the La Liga title last month, while leading the German and Spanish leagues in scoring for eight years," the statement added.
Chicago Fire coach Gregg Berhalter said: "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 announcement followed Lewandowski's visit to Chicago earlier this month, which fueled speculation that he would continue his career in the United States after leaving Barcelona at the end of June.
Berhalter had hinted at the move during a television interview, saying the club was seeking to recruit "world-class players" and describing Lewandowski as "a great signing not only for the Chicago Fire, but for the league."
"We see him right up there with Messi in terms of ability, and it’d be great for the city of Chicago," Berhalter said at the time, as cited by The Athletic, the sports division of The New York Times.
Lewandowski announced in mid-May that he would leave Barcelona after three seasons with the Spanish club.
He joined Barcelona in 2022 and helped the club win three La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey and three Spanish Super Cups. He scored 120 goals in 193 appearances for Barcelona, placing him among the club’s leading scorers of all time. Last season, he made 46 appearances in all competitions and scored 19 goals.
By joining the Chicago Fire, Lewandowski becomes the latest global star to move to MLS, following Argentina's Lionel Messi, who joined Inter Miami in 2023.
Chicago Fire has longstanding Polish ties. The club won the MLS Cup in its inaugural 1998 season with key contributions from Polish players Piotr Nowak, Jerzy Podbrożny and Roman Kosecki.
The club is currently third in the MLS Eastern Conference standings at the league's break for the World Cup.
Lewandowski has scored 89 goals in 167 international matches for Poland but was unable to lead his country to the World Cup in North America. Poland suffered a playoff final defeat against Sweden in March and failed to qualify.
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Source: TVN24, IAR, PAP