(Photo credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

The Chicago Fire on Monday officially announced their acquisition of Polish striker Robert Lewandowski through the 2027-28 season.

Lewandowski will occupy a designated player slot pending the approval of his visa as well as the completion of an international transfer certificate.

Lewandowski, 37, was a free agent after spending the last four seasons with FC Barcelona, scoring 83 goals with 19 assists in 134 league matches (114 starts) while contributing to three La Liga titles.

He spent the prior 12 seasons in Germany's Bundesliga, playing for Dortmund (2010-14) and Bayern Munich (2014-22), contributing to 10 league titles and a Champions League title in 2020.

His 344 goals across all competitions over eight Bayern Munich seasons are second-most in team history behind Gerd Muller.

Lewandowski was considered the frontrunner to win the Ballon d'Or in 2020, but the award was not given out that year due to the coronavirus pandemic. He finished second in Ballon d'Or voting in 2021 and won the Best FIFA Men's Player Award in 2020 and 2021.

He's easily Poland's all-time leader in international appearances (167) and goals (89), appearing in each of the last four European Championships and each of the prior two World Cups before Poland failed to qualify in 2026.

His 697 total goals for club and country since his debut in 2008 are seventh-most in soccer history and third-most amongst active players behind Cristiano Ronaldo (975) and Lionel Messi (917).

The Fire (8-4-2, 26 points) are third in the MLS Eastern Conference standings at the World Cup break after snapping a seven-year playoff drought last season.

--Field Level Media