Polish striker Robert Lewandowski, who has departed from the Spanish professional football club FC Barcelona, has joined the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer (MLS).

The Chicago Fire announced on Tuesday (June 30) that they have signed Lewandowski, a global football icon and Poland's all-time leading scorer, as a Designated Player.

The contract runs through the 2027-2028 season.

A Designated Player is a high-earning player whose salary is not subject to the club's salary cap.

Notable Designated Players in the MLS include South Korean national team captain Son Heung-min, who plays for LAFC, and football legend Lionel Messi, who plays for Inter Miami.

According to local media reports, Lewandowski is expected to earn an annual salary of approximately 17 million dollars (about 26.2 billion won).

As of April this year, Messi ranked first in the MLS with a guaranteed salary of 28.33 million dollars, followed by Son Heung-min in second place with 11.15 million dollars.

Based on these estimates, Lewandowski will be earning a salary between that of Messi and Son.

Lewandowski is a star player who holds the records for both the most appearances (167 matches) and the most goals (89 goals) for the Polish national team.

His professional career includes stints at Lech Poznań in Poland, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga, and FC Barcelona in Spain. Notably, he was the top scorer in the Bundesliga seven times.

After transferring from Munich to Barcelona in 2022, he scored 120 goals in 193 official matches and lifted seven trophies, including three La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, and three Spanish Super Cups.

In the 2025-2026 season, he recorded 19 goals in official matches, including 14 in the league.

After announcing his departure from Barcelona last month, Lewandowski reportedly drew interest from various clubs in Europe, Saudi Arabia, and the United States before choosing the Chicago Fire.

The Chicago club stated, "The signing of Lewandowski demonstrates our commitment to building a top-tier team, bringing in world-class talent to compete for championships, and elevating the club's international profile."

Chicago is currently third in the MLS Eastern Conference (26 points), trailing Nashville (33 points) and Inter Miami (31 points).

A match against Inter Miami is scheduled for July 23, but it remains uncertain whether the two players will face each other, as Messi is currently participating in the North and Central American World Cup with the Argentina national team.

The Polish national team, for which Lewandowski played, failed to qualify for the World Cup finals after not passing the European qualifying playoffs.

(Photo: Club website capture, Yonhap News)