He’s one of the best players to never win the Ballon d’Or and Man United agreed to sign him in 2012

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Having been one of the biggest football clubs in the world, Manchester United have had some top talent over the years.

Some of the biggest and best football players have featured at Old Trafford, not least during the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

The legendary manager spent 27 years at the club, winning 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies and several other cups.

That has naturally meant some brilliant players gracing the pitch for Manchester United, but there were some near misses, too.

While the Red Devils have plenty of pulling power, Ferguson did miss a few players in his time, including one star who went on to be one of the best in the world.

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Manchester United agreed Robert Lewandowski deal in 2012 but Borussia Dortmund rejected it

Sir Alex Ferguson had plenty of clinical strikers during his time as Manchester United boss, but there was one that he may regret missing out on.

That is Robert Lewandowski, who was prolific in his spell at Borussia Dortmund during the early 2010s, before he made the switch to Bayern Munich.

The Polish international could’ve moved to the Premier League on two separate occasions.

One was with Blackburn in 2010; however, a volcanic eruption over Iceland prevented flights from taking off, and eventually stopped the move altogether.

Then, in 2012, Manchester United tried their luck.

Lewandowski revealed how he agreed to a move back then, when speaking to BBC Sport: “To Manchester United I decided and said yes.

“I wanted to join Manchester United to see Alex Ferguson.

“They [Borussia Dortmund] could not sell me, 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.”

It was a missed opportunity for Man United, who have been through their fair share of strikers in the time since.

Lewandowski went on to become one of the most feared marksmen in all of football, and while his legacy will be kind, there is one thing missing from it that perhaps should have been.

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How Robert Lewandowski missed a chance to win the Ballon d’Or

At his peak, Robert Lewandowski was arguably one of the best players in the world.

Perhaps that would’ve been recognised with the Ballon d’Or, had a force of nature not stopped the award altogether.

In 2020, it seemed set for the Bayern Munich forward to clinch the award, having scored 55 goals in all competitions for the club.

His 41 goals in the Bundesliga are the record for a league season, while Bayern won absolutely everything on the trophy front.

However, with a worldwide pandemic ongoing, the 2020 Ballon d’Or award was called off, seemingly scuppering Lewandowski’s chances of winning it.

The following year, he finished as runner-up to Lionel Messi.

With a career as storied as Lewandowski’s, there are plenty of highs, but a few missed opportunities there, too.