Robert Lewandowski Nearly Signed for Maccabi Haifa in 2008

Polish football superstar Robert Lewandowski was close to signing with Israeli club Maccabi Haifa as a young player in 2008, according to revelations from the club's former youth academy director, Yaniv Cohen.

Cohen recounted that during a summer training camp in Poland, Maccabi Haifa's youth team played a practice match against the Polish senior national team. During the game, Cohen noticed a tall, talented striker who he believed could be a good fit for Maccabi Haifa, which was seeking a foreign forward at the time. He contacted then-coach Elisha Levy, who approved further investigation.

Cohen discovered the striker was playing in Poland's second division and that his club was asking for $300,000. However, due to the timing, the last day of the training camp, and difficulties in follow-up after returning to Israel, the deal did not materialize. The striker, Lewandowski, went on to finish as the league's top scorer and was sold to Lech Poznan for €380,000.

Years later, during a conversation with former Maccabi Haifa owner Yaakov Shahar and then-general manager Itamar Chizik, Cohen brought up the missed opportunity. Shahar reportedly expressed disbelief and frustration, asking why he hadn't been informed about such a potential signing. Lewandowski subsequently moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2010 for €4.75 million, embarking on a stellar career with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, becoming one of the world's top strikers.