New Chicago Fire signing Robert Lewandowski said he couldn’t imagine playing for another European club after his four-season stint with Barcelona, and that explains in part his decision to move to MLS.
Lewandowski, 37, was formally introduced in Chicago at a news conference on Tuesday, officially ending his era at the storied club that yielded three LaLiga championships, three Supercopa championships and one Copa del Rey title.
“I couldn’t imagine myself in a different club beside Barcelona, so that’s why we know that the next step will be outside Europe,” Lewandowski said.
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“And of course that it’s not easy to move from Europe [for] us now to USA, but from another side we are very [excited]. But of course it’s like our life’s changing, but it’s the new experience. And I hope so that for me, for my family, that will be the new chapter, a nice, beautiful chapter in our life.”
The former Poland international said he consulted with former club teammates Bastian Schweinsteiger — who spent three seasons with the Fire — and Thomas Müller, now with the Vancouver Whitecaps, about MLS and the city of Chicago. Both received high marks.
“When I starting to asking about, not only the MLS, but also the city and how looks the club, they told me that it’s amazing,” Lewandowski said. “And also for the life, not only as a club for the training, but also for the family is amazing.”
Lewandowski joins a Fire side that has progressed since current manager Gregg Berhalter took charge prior to last season.
Chicago is currently in third place in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind first-place Nashville SC, and Lewandowski feels there is great potential for both himself and the club.
“I see the potential to win the titles with the new club,” he said. “And I’m very, very, very happy because it’s the new step in my career, the new step in my life. But I hope so that we can enjoy a lot and also, we can together with the old staff, with the old players, doing our job winning not only the games, but as I say before, also doing the titles. And now we are in a good position, but of course we have to working hard and I hope that we can enjoy after the season a lot what we achieve.”
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Berhalter feels that the signing of Lewandowski can improve the team, not only in terms of the league standings, but also in what he can bring to the club overall.
“This is a massive signing for our football club. We’re excited to bring Robert to the club,” Berhalter said. “We’re excited to see how he can change the culture. One thing that I’ve got when I’ve gotten to know Robert, not only is an amazing soccer player, he’s an amazing person, very humble person, very driven person.
“You don’t play this long at this high of a level without being an absolute top professional. So we’re excited to bring him to the club and really have his expertise and have his way of professionalism rub off on the rest of the team. We have a good team right now and we think Robert is a piece that can help take us to the top.”
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Chicago already has an in-form striker on its books, with Hugo Cuypers scoring a league-leading 13 goals in just 11 matches. But Berhalter believes that Cuypers and Lewandowski can form a potent tandem up top, and has even begun operating a two-striker system in training.
“We don’t see any reason why that can’t continue with Hugo and Robert on the field together,” Berhalter said. “They’re both high quality players. They’re both players that can take advantage of a small amount of space, can finish under pressure, can finish in small spaces. So we’re actually really excited about this possibility and we think that it can be a great combination.”
Lewandowski knows there will be an adaption period, both for himself and in terms of the living situation for his family.
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“At my age is a little bit easier to change the club because I know that sometimes I have to be patient with everything that’s going on around me, not only on the pitch, but off the pitch as well,” he said.
“Because of course, if you have everything ready in your life and you have change going again outside of your comfort zone and to find the new things, that takes time. But of course I cannot forget that the main focus should be always on the pitch, but also, it’s easier to [be] playing your best football if everything beside the football is ready and you can also enjoy.”
