'I said yes to them' - when Lewandowski nearly joined Man Utd

Many football fans will be aware of the story of the volcanic ash cloud that scuppered Robert Lewandowski's potential move to Blackburn Rovers - but there was another club in England the striker wishes he had joined.

"To Manchester United I decided and said yes," he told BBC Sport. "I wanted to join Manchester United, to see Alex Ferguson."

The prospect of a move to the Red Devils came in 2012, when Lewandowski was scoring prolifically at Borussia Dortmund - and two years after a volcanic eruption in Iceland had put paid to his Blackburn switch.

However, the German club simply did not want to let their talismanic striker go.

"They could not sell me," Lewandowski said. "Because they knew if I stayed they could earn more money, and that I could wait maybe one or two more years.

"But it is true that I said yes to Manchester United."

While that move failed to materialise, Lewandowski has enjoyed a stellar career at some of Europe's biggest clubs, winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich and La Liga twice at his current club Barcelona.

At 37 he has no plans to retire any time soon, but accepts a Premier League opportunity has probably passed him by.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Liam MacDevitt, Lewandowski added: "Maybe it could be a regret [not to play in the Premier League].

"But when I am looking back [having] played for Bayern Munich, Dortmund and now Barcelona I have to say I am very happy with my career.

"I don't have this kind of feeling that I missed something, because every move or decision... I made because I wanted it."

Lewandowski, who has scored more than 700 career goals for club and country, is preparing for his 22nd season as a professional.

He is now the old head in a young Barcelona team featuring supreme talents like Lamine Yamal, but the Poland international believes he still has plenty to offer.

"When I see that I still don't have to catch the young guys, that they still have to catch me, it means this next season can also be very good," he said.

"I am still there to show the best performance from myself."

Lamine Yamal was not even born when Lewandowski's career began, but despite being 19 years his senior, the striker believes he is still learning from younger players.

"I understood that I cannot fight with them but I can help them and they can also help me," Lewandowski said.

"I learn from them a lot. I didn't think it would happen like that."

Lamine Yamal is widely viewed as a future superstar, and Lewandowski said he could see the winger was special from the moment he trained with the first team aged just 15.

"It is the first time in my life I saw after 50 minutes that he had something special," he said.

"I didn't believe it because I didn't see this kind of player at this age - I thought this is impossible at 15."

The latest nominees for the Ballon d'Or have been announced, and for Lewandowski this time of year will be a reminder of just how close he came to winning the award.

He was among the favourites for the 2020 edition which was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

A year later he finished runner-up to Lionel Messi for the main prize, and was named striker of the year after a record-breaking season when he scored 41 league goals.

"I was in the best moment of my career, I won everything with my club," he said.

"I think the difficult thing with that case is until now I don't know why."

On who could win it this year, Lewandowski added: "You have so many players now who can [win the Ballon d'Or].

"Lamine Yamal's season was incredible but in the end it depends what is most important. He still has a lot of time, if not this year maybe next year.

"Raphinha also had an amazing season. We have players who can be one of the favourites to win this kind of title."

Lewandowski has played under some leading managers during his career and is currently working under Hansi Flick, who was also in charge during his trophy-laden spell at Bayern Munich.

But it is former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp - who Lewandowski played under at Dortmund - who had the biggest influence on the striker.

"When I moved to Dortmund I was a very young guy, I lost my father when I was 16," he said.

"I for sure was a boy who was more closed, I didn't want to speak about my emotion.

"However, after a few years I met someone who I don't want to say was like a father but similar.

"Maybe after so many years the kind of conversation that I missed with my father, I had with Jurgen.

"I remember the conversation until now because it changed my life, it changed my football life. I put my emotion out, I put out the words I had kept in for a few years and after this I felt freedom.

"Maybe because of this I started to play better and better."