“I emphasized this in all discussions” - When Lewandowski’s agent explained why he didn’t allow the striker to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid
Robert Lewandowski's former agent Cezary Kucharski once shared that the Polish striker wanted to team up with Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid. The Barcelona star was playing in the Bundesliga when he expressed a desire to move to Spain.
Lewandowski first impressed at Borussia Dortmund and earned a move to fellow German giants Bayern Munich in 2014. However, it now appears that he was eager to join Ronaldo at the Santiago Bernabeu before signing a contract with the Bavarians.
Speaking on the Polish YouTube channel Futbolownia in 2020, Kucharski insisted that he convinced his client to turn down a move to Los Blancos.
“At one point in the negotiations, he no longer wanted to sign a contract with Bayern, and wanted Real Madrid instead because Ronaldo played there. I convinced him that he had to be the number one striker at a big club," said Kucharski via Goal.
"At Real Madrid, he would have prevailed over Karim Benzema at some point, but I couldn’t allow him to move to a club as a number two given the status he already had at that time. I emphasised this in all discussions, whether it was with Real Madrid, Arsenal or Manchester City,” he added.
Robert Lewandowski is unlikely to have any regrets about joining Bayern Munich. The Pole enjoyed tremendous success at the Allianz Arena, registering 344 goals and 73 assists from 375 games across competitions. He won eight Bundesliga titles and a Champions League among other honors for the Bavarians before joining Barcelona in 2022.
Has Cristiano Ronaldo played the best football of his career at Real Madrid?
Cristiano Ronaldo spent nine seasons at Real Madrid and ended up as their record goalscorer. The Portuguese superstar registered 451 goals and 131 assists from 438 games for Los Blancos.
He arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu from Manchester United in 2009 as an established name in world football. However, Ronaldo took his game to a whole new level with the LaLiga champions.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner won four Champions League trophies and two LaLiga titles among other honors at the Bernabeu. The Portuguese ace left the club to join Juventus in 2018 and won two Serie A titles in Turin. He registered 101 goals and 22 assists from 134 games during his time with the Italian giants.
After a disappointing second coming at Old Trafford, the 39-year-old moved to Saudi Arabia in December 2022 to join Al-Nassr. Cristiano Ronaldo has since scored 66 goals from 73 games across competitions for the club and won the Arab Club Champions Cup in 2023.