Why did Robert Lewandowski ‘lose trust' in Poland coach Michal Probierz and resign from international football?
Poland and Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has announced that he will not play for the national team again for as long as coach Michał Probierz remains in charge of the side, shortly after he was stripped of the national team's captaincy.
At the end of the long season with Barcelona, the 36-year-old Lewandowski mentioned physical and mental fatigue, making himself unavailable for his country for the ongoing international window. Consequently, coach Probierz decided to remove the star striker from captaincy, replacing him with with Internazionale's Piotr Zieliński.
'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,' the veteran forward posted on social media.
Lewandowski, however, said he hoped that he could wear the national shirt soon, provided that a new manager was at the helm of the squad, replacing Probierz, who had taken over in 2023.
'I hope I will still have the chance to play again for the best fans in the world.'
A hamstring injury had marred Lewandowski's finish to the season as he missed out on key fixtures for Barcelona, including the Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan and the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid.
Making a return in the last three games of the LaLiga season, Lewandowski netted two goals as Barça clinched the league. He, however, soon opted out of Poland's friendly against Moldova and a World Cup qualifier against Finland this month.
'Returning from injury, I told Coach Probierz that I did not feel good physically, but especially mentally,' Lewandowski told Polish media earlier this week. The former Bayern Munich forward remains Poland's most capped (158) and highest goal-scorer (85) in international football.
Coach Probierz had led Poland to the Euro 2024 last year, where they ended winless and suffered a group-stage exit.
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