Barcelona’s striker Robert Lewandowski has declared that he will not represent the Polish national team as long as coach Micah Probiels remains in charge. At 36 years old, Lewandowski cited "physical and mental fatigue" after a demanding season with Barcelona as his reason for stepping back during the current international window.
Due to Lewandowski’s absence, Probiels decided to assign the captaincy to Piotr Zieliński of Napoli. Although Lewandowski initially stated he was leaving international football, he later expressed a desire to return under different circumstances. "Given the circumstances and the loss of trust in the coach, I have decided to resign from playing for the Polish national team while he is the head coach," he posted on social media. He added, "I hope there’s still a chance to play again for the best fans in the world."
Lewandowski had missed crucial matches at the end of the club season due to a hamstring injury, including the Champions League semifinals and the Copa del Rey final. He returned to action for the last three games of the season, scoring twice to help Barcelona in La Liga, but still joined Poland for a friendly qualifier against Finland this month. "Coming back from injury, I told Coach Probiels that I didn’t feel physically good, but especially mentally," he told Polish media earlier this week.
Lewandowski holds the record for the most appearances (158) and goals (85) for the Polish national team. Poland has performed well in their qualifying rounds in Group G, ahead of their match against Finland on Tuesday. Probiels took over as coach in 2023 after a successful but brief period leading the U21 team, succeeding Fernando Santos. Although he guided Poland to Euro 2024, the team was eliminated in the group stage without a win.
Fan Take: This news is significant for soccer fans as it highlights the ongoing struggles between players and coaching staff, especially regarding trust and mental health. Lewandowski’s absence could drastically affect Poland’s performance in upcoming matches, emphasizing the importance of player-coach relationships in the sport.
