It certainly didn’t feel like destiny or determinism at the time. If anything, it felt like Robert Lewandowski’s world was falling apart around him, like his dreams were being yanked out by the roots.
He was 17. A year earlier, in 2005, his beloved father Krzysztof had died after a lengthy bout with cancer. Absent his mentor and confidant, Robert forged ahead with football anyway and reached the reserve team of Legia Warsaw, the biggest club in the Polish capital. But injuries derailed him and after a season, he was let go. His slight frame likely wouldn’t adapt to the rigors of the pro game, Legia said.