Robert Lewandowski has joined Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire on a two-year deal after leaving Barcelona.

The 37-year-old Poland striker ended a four-year stint in La Liga at the end of the season when his contract expired.

As well as Fire, there had been interest from AC Milan and the Saudi Pro League in Poland’s record scorer, who is expected to become one of the highest earners in MLS.

His arrival promises to be a huge boost to the city of Chicago, which boasts one of the largest Polish communities outside Poland.

Fire, who are third in the MLS Eastern Conference having made their first play-off appearance last season, return to action after the World Cup break on Friday, 17 July when they take on Vancouver.

Director of football and head coach Gregg Berhalter said of the Lewandowski deal: “His arrival reinforces our ambition to compete for trophies and raises the standards for the club to heights worthy of this city.

“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.”

Lewandowski spent 12 seasons in Germany’s Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, winning 10 league titles and leading Bayern to the 2020 Champions League title.

He was considered the frontrunner to win the 2020 Ballon d’Or, but the award was not given out that year because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He finished second in Ballon d’Or voting in 2021 and won the Best Fifa Men’s Player Award in 2020 and 2021.

After moving to Barcelona in 2022, he helped them win three La Liga titles and the 2025 Copa del Rey, scoring 120 goals in 193 games.

However, a number of injuries over the past year meant he started only 17 league games last season.

Since his departure, Barcelona have signed Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon on a five-year deal worth more than 80m euros (£69.3m), while they could still move permanently for Marcus Rashford, who spent last season on loan from Manchester United.

Reports on Monday say they are also interested in a move for England striker Harry Kane, who is in the final year of his contract with Bayern Munich.