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 2008 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 the asking price was $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, finished as top scorer for his team and was subsequently sold to Lech Poznań.

Years later, during a conversation with former Maccabi Haifa owner Yaakov Shahar and then-director Itamar Chizik, Cohen brought up the missed opportunity. Shahar reportedly expressed frustration, asking why he hadn't been informed about the potential signing of such a player.

Lewandowski went on to have a stellar career, playing for Lech Poznań, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona, winning numerous titles and establishing himself as one of the world's top strikers. Lech Poznań had purchased him for 380,000 euros from his previous club, Znicz Pruszków, and later sold him to Dortmund for 4.75 million euros in 2010.