Lewandowski Quits Poland Team, Refuses To Play Under Coach Michal Probier (image-instagram/_rl9)
Poland footballer Robert Lewandowski announced his decision to step away from the Polish national team after being replaced as captain. The 36-year-old had also stated that he will not play under the coach Michal Probierz.
The announcement was made on social media after the head coach decided to place Piotr Zielinski as the team’s captain. Lewandowski told news website WP.pl on Monday that he received a short call from Probierz as he was putting his children to sleep and that a statement about him losing the captaincy soon appeared on the Polish football federation (PZPN) website.
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The 36-year-old striker has 85 goals in 158 appearances for his country and he had worn the captaincy band for the past 11 years. He has represented Poland at two World Cups and four European Championships, making his captaincy debut in a 2013 qualifier against San Marino.
A statement released by the Polish FA stated that the decision to appoint midfielder Zielinski as the new captain was taken by the entire team and the training staff.
Following this, Barcelona’s Lewandowski wrote on social media: “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,” he added.
Lewandowski said the national team had always been the most important thing for him and that he was “very hurt” by the decision.
Probierz replaced the sacked Fernando Santos as Poland manager in 2023, taking them to Euro 2024 where his side were the first team to be eliminated.
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Poland are top of their World Cup 2026 qualifying group after two wins, while the Netherlands sit third with three points after one game.
