Latest news with #Probierz
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Poland players back the decision to strip Lewandowski of captaincy
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski has been in the public eye after announcing his resignation from the national team on Sunday. The shock retirement followed head coach Michal Probierz's decision to remove the Barcelona centre-forward from captaincy, electing Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zielinski in his place. Advertisement Lewandowski took to social media to insist that he will not play again for Poland as long as Probierz is in charge. '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,' read Lewandowski's statement (h/t BBC Sport). 'I hope I will still have another chance to play again for the best fans in the world.' A new report from Diario Sport claims that Polish players are standing by the head coach's decision. It indicates a potential rift between Lewandowski and his teammates. Having been the face of the Polish national team for more than a decade, Lewandowski would be utterly disappointed with the latest happenings. Advertisement Despite not winning a major trophy at the international level, the legendary striker holds the record for most goals (85) and most appearances (158) for Poland. The 36-year-old may be in his twilight, but his prolific form at the club level shows that he is still indispensable to Poland heading into next year's World Cup. Poland players feel that Lewandowski has been prioritising his club duties ahead of the national team. The former captain also opted out of the ongoing international break, citing the reasons of fatigue following a long season with Barcelona. Probierz is expected to answer questions about Lewandowski's situation at a press conference on Monday ahead of the World Cup Qualifying game against Finland. Lewandowski had a stellar 2024/25 season, bagging 42 goals in all competitions and inspiring Hansi Flick's side to a domestic treble.
Washington Post
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Star striker Robert Lewandowski says he'll no longer play for Poland while Michal Probierz is coach
WARSAW, Poland — Robert Lewandowski will no longer play for Poland while Michał Probierz remains head coach, the Barcelona striker said. The 36-year-old Lewandowski, who has played a record 158 games for his country and is the leading scorer with 85 goals, cited tiredness from a La Liga title-winning season with Barcelona for pulling out of last Friday's 2-0 friendly win over Moldova and Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Finland. Probierz subsequently named Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zieliński as the new captain. The Polish soccer association said: 'Piotr Zieliński has been named the new captain of the national team by head coach Michał Probierz. The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the coaching staff of his decision.' Lewandowski replied with a post on X: 'Taking into account the circumstances and the loss of trust in the head coach of the Polish national team, I have decided to step down from playing for the national team for as long as he remains in charge. I hope I will still have the chance to play again for the best fans in the world.' Lewandowski suffered an injury to his left thigh on April 19 in a La Liga match against Celta Vigo and was sidelined for two weeks. He missed four games, including a thrilling 3-3 Champions League semifinal first leg against Inter in Barcelona. He recovered in time for the second leg and was used as substitute in a 4-3 defeat that sent Inter to the final. Poland leads World Cup Group G qualifying with two wins from two games. ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Star striker Robert Lewandowski says he'll no longer play for Poland while Michal Probierz is coach
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Robert Lewandowski will no longer play for Poland while Michał Probierz remains head coach, the Barcelona striker said. The 36-year-old Poland captain, who has played a record 158 games for his country and is the leading scorer with 85 goals, cited tiredness from a La Liga title-winning season with Barcelona for pulling out of last Friday's 2-0 friendly win over Moldova and Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Finland. Advertisement Probierz subsequently named Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zieliński as the new captain. The Polish soccer association said: 'Piotr Zieliński has been named the new captain of the national team by head coach Michał Probierz. The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the coaching staff of his decision.' Lewandowski replied with a post on X: 'Taking into account the circumstances and the loss of trust in the head coach of the Polish national team, I have decided to step down from playing for the national team for as long as he remains in charge. I hope I will still have the chance to play again for the best fans in the world.' Lewandowski suffered an injury to his left thigh on April 19 in a La Liga match against Celta Vigo and was sidelined for two weeks. He missed four games, including a thrilling 3-3 Champions League semifinal first leg against Inter in Barcelona. Advertisement He recovered in time for the second leg and was used as substitute in a 4-3 defeat that sent Inter to the final. Poland leads World Cup Group G qualifying with two wins from two games. ___ AP soccer: The Associated Press
Associated Press
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Associated Press
Star striker Robert Lewandowski says he'll no longer play for Poland while Michal Probierz is coach
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Robert Lewandowski will no longer play for Poland while Michał Probierz remains head coach, the Barcelona striker said. The 36-year-old Poland captain, who has played a record 158 games for his country and is the leading scorer with 85 goals, cited tiredness from a La Liga title-winning season with Barcelona for pulling out of last Friday's 2-0 friendly win over Moldova and Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Finland. Probierz subsequently named Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zieliński as the new captain. The Polish soccer association said: 'Piotr Zieliński has been named the new captain of the national team by head coach Michał Probierz. The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the coaching staff of his decision.' Lewandowski replied with a post on X: 'Taking into account the circumstances and the loss of trust in the head coach of the Polish national team, I have decided to step down from playing for the national team for as long as he remains in charge. I hope I will still have the chance to play again for the best fans in the world.' Lewandowski suffered an injury to his left thigh on April 19 in a La Liga match against Celta Vigo and was sidelined for two weeks. He missed four games, including a thrilling 3-3 Champions League semifinal first leg against Inter in Barcelona. He recovered in time for the second leg and was used as substitute in a 4-3 defeat that sent Inter to the final. Poland leads World Cup Group G qualifying with two wins from two games. ___ AP soccer:
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Lewandowski makes extraordinary statement after being axed as Poland skipper
Robert Lewandowski has been stripped of the Poland captaincy after making himself unavailable for the June international break, with the striker reacting furiously Robert Lewandowski has insisted he will not play for Poland again while Michal Probierz remains as manager after being stripped of the captaincy. Lewandowski is arguably the greatest player in Poland's history. Since making his debut in 2008, the striker has made 158 appearances, featuring at two World Cups and five European Championships. He was handed the captain's armband in 2014 and has gone on to become his country's record goalscorer. But after starring as Barcelona won the La Liga title and Copa del Rey double this season, the 36-year-old decided to make himself unavailable for the June internationals. The striker insisted that decision came after talks with Probierz. The Poland boss reacted by stripping Lewandowski of the captaincy though. Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zielinski has been handed the armband instead, in a move that was announced on Sunday evening. A statement from the Polish FA read: "Piotr Zieliński has become the new captain of the Polish national team. The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the training staff about his decision. That move appears to have infuriated Lewandowski, with the relationship between him and national coach Probierz now shattered. That has led to the Barca star revealing he will not play for Poland again while Probierz remains in charge. Lewandowski said: "Considering the circumstances and the loss of trust in the coach of the Polish National Team, I decided to resign from playing in the Polish National Team until he is the coach. I hope that I will be able to play for the best fans in the world again." Probierz has been in charge of Poland since 2023, when he stepped up from their Under-21s set-up to replace Fernando Santos. The 52-year-old guided Poland to Euro 2024, but the side did not win a match at the tournament and were dumped out at the group stage. They beat Moldova in a friendly on Friday night and face Finald in their next World Cup qualifier on Tuesday. The Poles currently sit top of their qualifying group, having taken two wins from their first two games. It had already been confirmed that Lewandowski would miss this international break. The striker scored 42 goals in 52 games for Barca in 2024-25, his most appearances in a single campaign. But he missed key matches in the closing weeks of the season including the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid and the Champions League semi-final against Inter. That led to him pulling out of contention for Poland this month. 'I know that I am often judged as a professional, not a person,' Lewandowski told Polish broadcaster TVP Sport. 'Returning from injury, I played two league games and told coach (Michal) Probierz that I did not feel good physically, but especially mentally. 'With all due respect to journalists, none of you thought about the fact that you can be mentally tired. Who among you can know better how I feel?'
