“A lucky escape?!”: Robert Lewandowski reveals he nearly joined Manchester United back in 2012

Things could have been quite different for Robert Lewandowski had he moved to Manchester United back in 2012.  (Image credits - FMT, License Details)

Robert Lewandowski is arguably one of the greatest strikers to grace the game, having played for some of the finest clubs in Europe – Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund – while making a huge impact as well.

However, in a recent interview with BBC Sport, the Polish international revealed that he had nearly joined Manchester United back in 2012.

Back then, the 37-year-old was playing at Borussia Dortmund while scoring goals for fun in the Bundesliga and the Champions League, which caught Manchester United's legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson's attention, who wished to sign the Polish superstar. 

Lewandowski confirmed the above in a recent interview by stating, "To Manchester United I decided and said yes; they could not sell me because they knew if I stayed they could earn more money, and that I could wait maybe one or two more years." (sic)

Robert Lewandowski was highly appealed by the presence of Sir Alex Ferguson and the Man Utd super team back then, but the deal never materialised as Dortmund didn't approve his sale at that time. Two years later, he switched to Bayern Munich from Dortmund, and the rest is just history.

37-year-"young" Robert Lewandowski: How long can he stay at the top?

Robert Lewandowski's longevity at the top level is a mind-boggling achievement, with the 37-year-old preparing for his 22nd season at the top flight as a professional footballer and still playing as a regular starter for a big club like FC Barcelona.

Having bagged over 700 goals for club and country, he has cemented himself as one of the greatest strikers of all time, with only 7 players scoring more total goals than him in the history of the game. 

Last season, Lewandowski bagged 42 goals for Barça and added much-needed experience up top alongside young guns like Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez and Ferran Torres. The Polish star would be keen on continuing his superb goal-scoring form for the coming season as well and continue to lead Hansi Flick's attack.

Lewandowski is still at the pinnacle of physical fitness, with no signs of slowing down. The Poland captain is often pictured and filmed training exceptionally hard to maintain himself at the top, and so far, it has worked wonders for him.

The 37-year-old stated that he still feels capable of delivering at the top level and will continue to do so until his body declines him.

"When I see that I still don't have to catch the young guys, that they still have to catch me, it means this next season can also be very good." said Lewandowski in the same interview. (sic)

He further added that, "I am still there to show the best performance from myself.” (sic)