Manchester United Target Robert Lewandowski Nearly Signed for Blackburn Rovers

Polish strike sensation Robert Lewandowski is currently enjoying his time at the pinnacle of world football. With the Champions League Final on the horizon, the Borussia Dortmund hitman has embedded his name in shortlist of Europe’s top strikers this season. As if his season wasn’t already going well before the Champions League semi-finals, the Dortmund man struck four times against Real Madrid - an achievement very few people have ever obtained.

But it all could have been very different for Lewandowski. West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce told Soccer Extra that he was remarkably close to signing Lewandowski during his time as Blackburn’s manager. So was it the antics of a rival team that prevented the now star to change his mind? Was it the money that changed his mind? No - it was a volcanic eruption in Iceland that sent a massive cloud of of ash into Europe’s skies. Flights were delayed and flights were cancelled for days and even weeks. What was supposed to be a routine football transfer move from Polish side Znicz Pruszkow to Blackburn Rovers in April of 2008 ended up not happening.

“Unfortunately he got delayed,” Allardyce said.

“We didn’t have a lot of money and he wanted to come. He was ready but after that he went to [Lech Posnan and then] Germany, which was a great shame for us and Blackburn.

“Obviously from his point of view his career has flourished from there, but that was one of those things you can’t stop.” (via Sky Sports)

Though it is difficult to say whether or not Lewandowski would have continued on the same path to success as he finds himself on now, one thing is for certain: the Polish striker is one of the world’s best and will most likely be on the move again soon.

With Dortmund teammate Mario Goetze already committing his future to Bayern Munich when the season ends, Lewandowski surely couldn’t follow his footsteps and join one of his side’s biggest rivals. The backlash from Goetze’s move has already been prevalent with signs at Dortmund matches expressing the Dortmund faithful’s feelings. The Pole has been linked to Chelsea, Manchester United, and Bayern Munich, but we’ll have to wait to see where he ends up going next.