Warsaw, June 15: If things ended a bit differently in 2014 then hotshot Polish striker Robert Lewandowski would have ended up with Real Madrid instead of Bayern Munich, according to his former agent Cezary Kucharski. Lewandowski moved to Bayern on a free transfer in the 2014 summer transfer window after he ran his contract down at Borussia Dortmund. Kucharski claimed that Cristiano Ronaldo factor almost sealed Lewandowski transfer to Madrid but the deal fell through eventually due to the presence of French striker Karim Benzema.

"At one point in the negotiations, he no longer wanted to sign a contract with Bayern, and wanted Real Madrid instead because Ronaldo played there," Kucharski told Polish YouTube channel Futbolownia as per Daily Mail. "I convinced him that he had to be the number one striker at a big club. Robert Lewandowski Nets a Goal During Bayern Munich vs Eintracht Frankfurt, Bundesliga 2019-20, Netizens Hail Best Striker (Watch Video).

"At Real Madrid, he would have prevailed over Karim Benzema at some point, but I couldn't allow him to move to a club as a No 2 given the status he already had at that time. "I emphasised this in all discussions, whether it was with Real Madrid, Arsenal or Manchester City."

Since his move to Munich, Lewandowski has helped Bayern win five Bundesliga titles, two DFB-Pokal Cups, and three DFB-Supercup titles. This season as well, Bayern remain top of the standings, having accumulated 73 points from 31 matches. Dortmund remain a close second with 66 points while RB Leipzig complete the top-three with 62 points.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 15, 2020 10:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).