Latest news with #RobertLewandowski
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Robert Lewandowski refuses to play for Poland ‘as long as coach is in charge'
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 Two days later, the Polish FA said Lewandowski had been replaced by Zielinski as captain of the national team 'by decision of the coach'.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. Guardian
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Poland national team squad ‘applaud' Lewandowski being stripped of captaincy
Earlier this week, Barcelona veteran Robert Lewandowski announced that he would no longer play for the Polish international team as long as the current manager Michal Probierz is in the office and thus made official a massive update in his professional career. His decision was understandable given that the coach recently stripped him of the captaincy of the national team and instated Piotr Zielinski as the captain instead. Advertisement Yet, it did come as a shocker considering that Lewandowski has been Poland's most important player over the past decade and this was not how many imagined his international legacy to end up. What comes as an even bigger shock, however, is the fact that the dressing room sides with the manager on the entire saga as per recent reports from Polish media as relayed by SPORT. Poland NT squad turns on Lewandowski As per the report, the Polish national team squad burst into applause when the manager communicated his decision to strip Lewandowski of the captaincy earlier this week. If true, the behaviour of the players certainly raises questions considering everything that Lewandowski has contributed for the Poland national team over the years. Poland squad rebelling against Lewandowski. (Photo by) There is a clear divide between the players and the former captain, as the squad feels that Lewandowski is not committed enough to the national team project and that he prioritises his club more. Advertisement It all began in March when the player asked to start on the bench against Malta to be fit for his next game with Barcelona. Given the hectic schedule and his age, the request should be seen as understandable but the players begged to differ, especially after the striker reportedly blamed his teammates and the manager for the poor performance after that game. Most recently, he asked to be excluded from the national team for the ongoing international break, owing to both physical and mental fatigue after the long season, but that has not gone down well with the team. There is, thus, a complete divide between Lewandowski and the national team that may well never be repaired. Given the player's age, he may never play for the international team ever again.
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Business Standard
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Business Standard
Robert Lewandowski to no longer play for Poland with coach Michal Probierz
Robert Lewandowski will no longer play for Poland while Michal 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 Zielinski as the new captain. The Polish soccer association said: Piotr Zielinski has been named the new captain of the national team by head coach Michal 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. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Robert Lewandowski refuses to play for Poland ‘as long as coach is in charge'
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 Napoli'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.' Advertisement Related: Portugal sink Spain in penalty shootout to win Nations League crown The striker, who is 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 manager Probierz, as Poland bode 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 Michal Probierz'. A statement said that 'the coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the training staff of his decision'. Advertisement 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.
San Francisco Chronicle
8 hours ago
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
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 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. ___
