Poland captain Robert Lewandowski has credited his long-running rivalry with Lionel Messi for shaping his career trajectory, explaining that competing against the Argentine inspired him to reach higher goalscoring levels. Speaking in an interview with Sporf, the 38-year-old forward reflected on more than a decade of shared dominance alongside Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as his current experience playing in MLS with Chicago Fire.
Lewandowski highlighted his back-to-back FIFA Best Men’s Player awards in 2020 and 2021—won ahead of Messi and Ronaldo during his career peak at Bayern Munich—as standouts in his career. During his spell in Germany, he secured eight Bundesliga titles and a Champions League trophy, contributing to a career total of 14 league championships across Poland, Germany, and Spain alongside 636 career goals in 890 professional appearances.
After his contract at Barcelona expired, Lewandowski signed with Chicago Fire on a free transfer in July. Joining Gregg Berhalter’s side, he helped secure a postseason spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Chicago sits fourth in the Eastern Conference with 52 points following a 2-2 draw against Orlando City on Wednesday, a match Lewandowski entered seeking his first league goal since September 9.
The veteran striker has recorded six goals and three assists through 17 MLS appearances so far, including two goals on his home debut against Charlotte FC. Interestingly, Lewandowski’s last league strike came in a 1-1 draw against Messi’s Inter Miami at Soldier Field. In that match, Lewandowski opened the scoring in the 10th minute by volleying home an Andrew Gutman cross, before Casemiro equalized three minutes after halftime by converting Messi’s corner kick.
Meanwhile, 39-year-old Messi is delivering record-setting numbers for Inter Miami this season, tallying 25 goals and 15 assists across 29 league games. The Argentine leads the MLS Golden Boot race and recently became the first player in league history to register 15 or more assists in three consecutive seasons.
