Polish national team: Lewandowski announces temporary retirement

Robert Lewandowski is seeking a showdown: The Polish striker has announced his retirement from the national team if national coach Michal Probierz remains in office. "Given the circumstances and the loss of trust in the coach, I have decided to no longer play for the Polish national team as long as he is in charge," Lewandowski announced on Instagram on Sunday evening. The 36-year-old did not rule out a return – on the contrary, he hopes "that I will have another chance to play for the best fans in the world."

Probierz had recently announced that midfielder Piotr Zielinski (Inter Milan) would take over the captaincy of the national team – although Lewandowski had already led his home country onto the field as captain since 2014. "The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the coaching staff of his decision," the association said in a statement on Sunday.

Under Probierz, who has been in charge since September 2023, the Polish team recently began their World Cup qualifiers with two wins against Lithuania (1-0) and Malta (2-0) – albeit without Lewandowski, who had justified his absence with fatigue after the end of the season. The long-time Bayern Munich striker, who has been playing for FC Barcelona since 2022, also struggled with a muscle injury in the final stages of the season with the Spanish champions. Lewandowski told Polish broadcaster TVP Sport that he had told the coach that he was "not feeling well physically, but especially mentally."

Lewandowski played a total of 158 times for the national team, scoring 85 goals and becoming Poland's record goalscorer.