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.
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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?”
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