"His best version was two seasons ago." That's Robert Lewandowski's honest take on Lamine Yamal's World Cup, and it's a more interesting verdict than the usual winner's praise.
Yamal arrived in the tournament eight weeks removed from a hamstring injury that had kept him out of Barcelona's LaLiga run-in. Luis de la Fuente nursed him through the group stage before letting him loose in the knockouts. He scored once, completed a tournament-high 35 dribbles, and was central to wins over Portugal, France, and Argentina. Not bad for a 19-year-old running on half a tank.
But Lewandowski, who spent three seasons alongside him at Barcelona, isn't pretending that was peak Yamal. "When you return straight into a tournament like that, you don't have time to build rhythm because you go from one match to the next," he told ESPN. Anyone who watched Yamal tear through defenders in his standout 2022/23 season — before the injuries and the accumulated pressure of expectation — knows exactly what Lewandowski means. The explosiveness has been there in flashes. The consistency of that earlier version hasn't fully returned yet.
Spain's depth made it work
What Lewandowski is also pointing at, without quite saying it, is how well Spain's system covered for Yamal's limitations. "The Spain players helped Lamine and Lamine helped the whole team. That cooperation was perfect." A slightly muted Yamal still managed 35 successful dribbles. A fully fit one is a different conversation entirely — and one that England, Germany, and the rest of Europe's elite will need to have before the next major tournament.
For anyone tracking Spain's odds going into future competitions, that's the real number to hold onto. They won a World Cup without their best player at his best. The ceiling from here is genuinely alarming.
Lewandowski heads to Chicago
Away from the World Cup, Lewandowski has closed the Barcelona chapter. He's signed with Chicago Fire FC in MLS and was direct about why he didn't even consider staying in Europe.
"I couldn't imagine playing for another European club after Barcelona, so I only looked at opportunities outside Europe."
That's a clean line. Not a retirement tour, not a money grab framed as an adventure — just a man who knew what his European career meant and didn't want to dilute it. After visiting Chicago and meeting coach Gregg Berhalter, the decision crystallised quickly.
His MLS debut has already been delayed once due to wildfire smoke forcing a postponement. When he does finally play, Chicago Fire will have a 36-year-old striker who was still playing knockout football at a World Cup level weeks ago. That's a significant addition to a league that has steadily raised its profile — and Fire's attacking output and odds to compete for honours this season look considerably more interesting than they did a month ago.
"I'm ready to help my teammates, help the club move forward and compete for trophies," he said. Given what he's just watched his former Barcelona teammates accomplish, it's hard to doubt the competitive drive is still there.
