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UPDATE: Polish football star Lewandowski quits national team, says he lost trust in coach

09.06.2025 15:45
Polish football star Robert Lewandowski has reiterated that he has lost trust in national team coach Michał Probierz and that he will no longer play for Poland as long as Probierz remains in charge.
Robert Lewandowski
Robert LewandowskiIAR/Cezary Piwowarski/Polskie Radio

The 36-year-old striker made the remarks in an interview published on Monday by the sportowefakty.wp.pl sports website, a day after the Polish Football Association (PZPN) announced that Lewandowski had been stripped of the captain's armband.

Shortly after the federation’s announcement on Sunday evening, Lewandowski posted a statement on social media saying he was stepping away from the team.

In Monday's interview, the Barcelona forward said he learned about the armband decision in a surprise phone call from Probierz.

"I got a call out of the blue from coach Michał Probierz, telling me he had decided to take away the armband," Lewandowski said. “I wasn’t prepared for it at all—I was putting my kids to bed. The conversation lasted a few minutes. I didn’t even have time to tell my family or talk to anyone about what had happened before the federation’s announcement appeared online.”

"The way it was communicated to me was truly shocking," he added.

Lewandowski said the issue was not about losing the captaincy itself, but about how the decision was handled.

"The coach broke my trust,” he said. “I want to emphasise that this is not about me suddenly being offended at the national team. For years I’ve always given everything I had. The national team has always been the most important thing for me. But what happened hurts deeply.”

He also expressed doubt about repairing his relationship with Probierz.

"I’m not someone who holds grudges, but in football, trust is essential," he said. "If you want to succeed, you have to pull in the same direction. You don’t always have to agree with each other—that’s normal—but there were things done here that will be hard to forget."

Asked if he would ever return to the national team, Lewandowski did not give a definitive answer, state news agency PAP reported.

"I want to sit down and think this through calmly. I need to take a breath. Only then will I be able to say more about what I’m thinking and what comes next," he said. "Right now, there’s a lot of pain and anger. I’ve always cared deeply about the national team. That hasn’t changed."

Lewandowski has scored 85 goals in 158 appearances for Poland, becoming the team's captain in 2014.

(gs)

Source: sportowefakty.wp.pl, IAR, PAP