Robert Lewandowski effect goes beyond goals for Chicago Fire FC | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

Robert Lewandowski ranks among the greatest scorers of his generation, so perhaps it’s no surprise he’s been productive upon arrival for Chicago Fire FC, with six goals and two assists in his first 10 MLS appearances, plus another tally in the club's run to the Leagues Cup quarterfinals, since arriving from FC Barcelona in July.

That only begins to describe the effect the Polish icon has had on his new club and their climb into the MLS elite, which continues with Saturday's Matchday 27  clash at Supporters' Shield leaders Nashville SC (9:30 pm ET | Apple TV).

“When you work with Robert, you can see right away why he's played for as long as he has, and why he's performed at the highest level for as long as he has,” head coach and director of football Gregg Berhalter told reporters last week.

“I'll give you an example. We had two tough days of training sessions, and yesterday after the training session, he did about a 45-minute finishing session alone with one of the coaches that he asked to set up, that involved running, sprinting, movement – it's not just sitting in front of goal, scoring goals.”

Extra mile

Younger counterparts like David Poreba, a Chicagoland native whose Polish heritage already made him a ‘Lewy’ devotee since childhood, could not help but clock it.

“We had a hard training that day. It's not like it was a light training,” marveled Poreba to MLSsoccer.com. “So to do that and put in an extra 30, 45 minutes after a hard training session, I mean, it just speaks for itself. This guy is just a machine, and it's a pleasure to be with him on the same team.

“He's always in the gym before training, doing his prehab and everything, and then his diet is 100% on point. There's definitely a reason as to why he's been so successful in his career, and it's not only the talent he has, but it's all the work he puts in. So for me, it's been eye-opening.”

Ageless wonder

Much like 39-year-old Lionel Messi, whose Inter Miami CF could take only a 1-1 draw from their recent midweek clash with the Fire before a record-breaking crowd of 63,094 at Soldier Field, Lewandowski has rendered his age more of a footnote than a decisive factor in his footballing trajectory.

After his hometown club Legia Warsaw infamously cut him as a teenager, supposedly because an ankle injury raised doubts about his durability, Lewy fashioned that rejection into fuel, earning a move to Borussia Dortmund, then Bayern Munich and eventually Barça.

He's logged more than 40,000 minutes across some of Europe’s top competitions, averaging about a goal a game across 800-plus appearances for club and country, and winning dozens of team and individual trophies in the process.

“Think about all the games he's played for us right now without a preseason: pretty incredible,” noted Berhalter. “He's an ultimate professional. I think he leads by example. He shows guys what it's going to take to have that longevity in your career.”

Detail-driven

Fire winger Philip Zinckernagel was already familiar with some of the finer points of Lewandowski’s approach, and becoming the big No. 9’s teammate has deepened his respect for the meticulousness with which ‘Lewy’ goes about his daily work.

“I've always followed him quite a lot because he's big on the mental side as well, and I've been working with a mental coach for many years, and he's always showed me clips or videos or podcasts where he features,” explained the former Bodø/Glimt, Nottingham Forest and Club Brugge standout.

“He's 38, but he still works really hard. He goes to the cryo or the ice bath and the sauna every day, and he does all the small stuff. So that's obviously incredible, and yeah, he demands a lot. He's a winner, and you can just feel that. He's always trying to get better, and he has high expectations.”

Power of process

Lewandowski is famously exacting about his diet, thanks to the influence of his wife Anna, an elite karate competitor turned nutritionist. He cut gluten, lactose and wheat flour back in his 20s when he noticed an impact on his energy levels and recovery times, and credits such changes for keeping Father Time at bay.

A few years ago, he drew headlines when he revealed he and Anna had adopted a ‘backwards eating’ habit, in which they start meals with dessert, having concluded it helped the digestive system better process the food. Whether they choose to embrace his exact approach to dining or not, Lewy’s Chicago colleagues have gotten a boost from both the 10-time Bundesliga winner’s aura and his methodology.

“It's more of the process, I think, that is rubbing off on other players. His process is very detailed,” said Berhalter. “His professionalism, his training, his recovery – everything he does has a reason. And I think other guys can see that and say, ‘OK, if this guy's doing it, maybe I can be doing this also.’”

Raising the standard

Even as he, Anna and their two young daughters adapt to a new country and culture, those around him say Lewandowski has embraced the responsibilities of being Chicago’s figurehead Designated Player.

He doesn’t hesitate to speak out when his high standards are not being met, though Poreba emphasizes how humble and approachable he’s been. He’s connected quickly with his new teammates, aided by his multilingualism: He speaks English and German, grew fluent in Spanish during his time in LaLiga and chats with Poreba in Polish.

“Also, when you are a big name and a big character like him, you don't necessarily have to do too much – just by being around and giving small advice, your presence makes a big difference. It makes people do more,” Zinckernagel pointed out. “It raises the bar for everything, because people are looking at him and [thinking] ‘OK, maybe I should work a little bit harder, maybe I should do this,’ or maybe there's someone you could look up to.

“All the young guys that dream about having a big move to Europe someday, they can look at him a little bit and take notes.”

Just getting started

Then there’s the star power. He’s not only captured the attention of Chicago’s large Polish-American community, but also drawn bumper crowds to many of the Fire’s away games, even their hotels. Their recent visit to Red Bull New York inspired a particularly huge turnout of his compatriots, despite the fact that a congested calendar prompted Berhalter to use Lewandowski in a reserve role.

“He's a superstar and he brings people out, and it's fun for us because we play in front of more people. So it's a different level,” said Zinckernagel. “But at the end of the day, he's also just a human, so when you're around him, you don't really think about it too much.”

The Fire believe this is just the beginning. Their solid overall record of 6W-3L-4D since Lewy’s debut would be stronger if not for some untimely defensive breakdowns, and Berhalter alludes to examples of the striker’s clever movement still going unrewarded as his teammates acclimate to his patterns and sensibilities.

“We're trying to learn how he moves and his behavior on the pitch and what he likes, and where he's good. And then we're just trying to adapt,” Zinckernagel acknowledged. “We've started to make some progress. I still think we can improve a lot there, and once we really get to connect and find even better connections, we can become a really dangerous team.”