Robert Lewandowski refuses to play for Poland ‘as long as coach is in charge’
Robert Lewandowski has played 158 times for Poland, scoring 85 goals. Pic: Nick Potts/PA Wire.
Robert Lewandowski has quit the Polish national team, saying he will not return to play for his country while the current manager remains in the role. Michal Probierz, who has been in charge of Poland since 2023, replaced Lewandowski as captain with Inter’s Piotr Zielinski on Sunday.
“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,” Lewandowski, 36, wrote on social media. “I hope I will still have another chance to play again for the best fans in the world.”
The striker, who is by some distance Poland’s record appearance-maker and top scorer, was not included in Probierz’s squad for their fixtures in June in order to rest after finishing the club season with Barcelona.
“Playing in the white and red colours has always been a dream come true for me, but sometimes the body gives a signal that it is necessary to take a breather for a moment,” Lewandowski wrote on social media on 2 June.
Lewandowski did however attend Friday’s friendly win against Moldova, appearing on the bench alongside the head coach Probierz, as Poland bade farewell to the forward Kamil Grosicki, who was earning his 95th and final cap.
Two days later, the Polish FA said Lewandowski had been replaced by Zielinski as captain of the national team “by decision of the coach”. A statement said: “The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the training staff of his decision”.
Lewandowski has made 158 appearances for Poland – 49 more than the second-highest cap holder Jakub Blaszczykowski – and scored 85 goals – 37 more than the second top scorer, Wlodzimierz Lubanski. He has played at two World Cups and four European Championships, including Euro 2012, jointly hosted by Poland and Ukraine. Lewandowski first captained his country in a World Cup qualifier against San Marino in 2013.
Poland face Finland in Helsinki on Tuesday night looking to keep up their 100% record in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
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