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Poland’s leading goal scorer, Robert Lewandowski, has announced that he will no longer represent the national team under the management of Michal Probierz, following his removal as team captain. The Barcelona forward expressed feeling “betrayed” and “deeply hurt” by the decision made by the head coach. On Sunday, Probierz stripped Lewandowski of the captaincy and appointed midfielder Piotr Zielinski as the new skipper, prompting the striker to step away from the national team setup.
The 36-year-old striker, who has 85 goals in his kitty in 158 appearances for his country, is not included in the national team squad for the current international window. Expressing his thoughts on his exit, Lewandowski wrote on his social media account, "Taking into account the circumstances and a loss of trust in the coach, I have decided to resign from playing for the Poland national team for as long as he remains in charge. "I hope I will still have another chance to play again for the best fans in the world."
"I haven't been captain for two years," Robert Lewandowski about his criticism
Michal Probierz has been managing the Polish national team since 2023, with Lewandowski captaining the side during Euro 2024 last summer. In an interview with the Polish outlet WP SportoweFakty on Monday, Lewandowski strongly criticized the way Probierz handled the situation. “I haven’t been captain for a year or two. I’ve been wearing the armband for 11 years, and I’ve been playing for the national team for 17. It seemed to me that such matters should be handled differently,” he said. “Everything was communicated over the phone. It really shouldn’t be like this. The coach betrayed my trust. The national team has always been the most important thing to me. At the same time, I’m very hurt by what happened," he further added.
Lewandowski has featured in two World Cups and four European Championships, including Euro 2012, which was co-hosted by Poland and Ukraine. He first wore the captain’s armband for his country during a World Cup qualifier against San Marino in 2013. Poland will take on Finland in Helsinki on Tuesday night as they aim to maintain their perfect record in the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
