Robert Lewandowski is reportedly considering ending his international retirement after just five days, after Poland head coach Michal Probierz resigned from his role.
Poland’s all-time leading goalscorer had announced on Sunday that he had decided to quit the national team while Probierz was in charge.
Lewandowski made the announcement 39 minutes after the Polish Football Association announced Probierz had stripped the forward of the captaincy.
‘Considering the circumstances and the loss of trust in the Polish national team coach, I have decided to step back from playing for the Polish national team as long as he remains the coach,’ Lewandowski said.
‘I hope I will have the chance to play again for the best fans in the world.’
The Barcelona star later expanded on his decision by claiming that Probierz had ‘betrayed my trust’, while appearing to accuse the coach of leaking private conversations.
Robert Lewandowski is reportedly considering ending his international retirement after five days following the resignation of Poland’s Michal Probierz
Lewandowski had said he would not play for Poland again while Probierz remained head coach
Probierz announced his resignation as Poland’s head coach after their 2-1 loss by Finland
The 36-year-old is now considering reversing his decision, according to German newspaper BILD, following the resignation of Probierz on Thursday.
Probierz had overseen Poland’s 2-1 defeat by Finland on Tuesday, a result that leaves them third in their World Cup qualifying group, and has now taken the decision to step down.
‘I have come to the conclusion that in the current situation, the best decision for the good of the national team will be my resignation from the position of coach,’ Probierz said.
‘Performing this function was the fulfillment of my professional dreams and the greatest honour of my life.
‘I would like to thank all my co-workers, employees of the Polish Football Association. I could always count on you. Thank you for trusting the president and board of the Polish Football Association.
‘Of course, I would like to thank all the footballers, whom I had the pleasure of meeting on this path. I will keep my fingers crossed for all of you, because the national team is our common national asset.
‘I would also like to thank our wonderful fans. You are with us through thick and thin. Wherever the national team played, your support was heard.’
Probierz’s departure has reportedly opened up the possibility that Lewandowski could return to the national team fold for their World Cup qualifiers against The Netherlands and Finland in September.
Lewandowski said he was informed of the decision to strip him of the captaincy in a call as he put his children to sleep
Piotr Zielinski was confirmed as his successor and led the team in the defeat against Finland
Lewandowski’s appearance at a Poland friendly honouring Kamil Grosicki last Friday has been the source of controversy with the legendary forward having asked to be rested for the match
Earlier this week, Lewandowski had hit back at Probierz over the nature of his axing as captain.
‘I got a surprise call from coach Michal Probierz with the information that he had decided to take away my armband, I was not prepared for it at all, I was putting my children to sleep,’ he said.
‘I didn’t even have time to inform my family or talk to anyone about what had happened, because a few moments later a message appeared on the PZPN website.
‘The way in which it was communicated to me is really surprising to me. It seemed to me that such matters should be dealt with differently.
‘Everything was communicated over the phone, it really shouldn’t have been like this. The coach betrayed my trust.’
Lewandowski claimed Probierz had ‘bowed to media pressure’ and accused Poland’s head coach of breaking agreements.
Poland’s record goalscorer said he had agreed with Probierz not to attend their training camp ahead of a friendly with Moldova on June 6, allowing him to get rest.
Lewandowski said he had informed only Poland’s head coach that he would attend the match to surprise Kamil Grosicki, who was making his 95th and final appearance for the national team, only for the news to be leaked.
Lewandowski has scored 85 times for Poland and has been captain of the team since 2014
Lewandowski and wife Anna – who formerly competed in karate – have been married 12 years
The 36-year-old said he had met with Probierz following the match on Friday and had been given no indication he would be stripped of the captaincy.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Probierz confirmed he had agreed to rest Lewandowski but had been taken by surprise by his decision to attend the friendly.
Probierz claimed Lewandowski had asked for the Polish FA to say he had resigned the captaincy rather than have the honour stripped from him, a request he rejected.
A report from Polish outlet Onet had suggested that the rest of the playing squad had ‘already had enough of his swagger’ and that had the captaincy been decided by popular vote, it would not have ended up with Lewandowski.
Things seem to have come to a head in March when Poland laboured to a 2-0 win over minnows Malta with Lewandowski on the bench due to his fitness.
Reports claim he would however ‘storm into the locker room’ after the game and berate both players and coaching staff, before publicly voicing his criticisms, stating he would not ‘sugarcoat’ the state of play.
He had criticised the lack of young players in the squad at the time, hinting that there were perhaps either no pathways for youngsters, or not enough quality was coming through from the youth teams to improve the side going forward.
Lewandowski is Poland’s highest goal scorer with 85 goals for his country in a record 158 appearances, and had held the captaincy since 2014.
Probierz replaced the sacked Fernando Santos as Poland manager in 2023, taking them to Euro 2024 where his side were the first team to be eliminated.
