Urban spoke after he was officially named as the new head coach of the Polish national football team on Wednesday to succeed fellow Pole Michał Probierz.
Lewandowski, who turns 37 in August, is Poland’s all-time leader in both caps and goals, at 158 and 85 respectively.
On June 8, he stepped away from the national team after Probierz stripped him of the captaincy and handed the armband to midfielder Piotr Zieliński.
The decision came two days before a World Cup qualifying match against Finland, which Poland lost 2–1 without Lewandowski in the squad.
Probierz resigned on June 12.
Robert Lewandowski. Photo: IAR/Cezary Piwowarski/Polskie Radio
'We simply cannot afford not to have Robert in this team'
Speaking to the Polish Football Association’s official channel Łączy nas Piłka on Wednesday, Urban said he intends to meet with the Barcelona forward in person to discuss the way forward.
"Let’s imagine, because no one has said this yet, that Robert really is done with the national team and wants to focus solely on his club at the end of his career. That’s possible,” Urban said. “But I will do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen — because we all know the situation Polish football is in. As of today, we simply cannot afford not to have Robert in this team.”
Urban added that Lewandowski has played a decisive role in Poland’s recent appearances at major international tournaments.
“To understand the full picture, I need to speak with him directly,” the coach said. “I won’t judge this situation from a distance. I won’t hesitate to travel to meet him — and there’s nothing wrong with that. Other coaches have done the same with players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.”
The 63-year-old Urban declared that open dialogue would be key not just with Lewandowski, but across the entire team.
“Only through conversation can I form my own opinion about what happened and how to move forward,” he said. “Robert is an extremely important figure for our national team. His age? Sorry, but the numbers he’s putting up in La Liga — not in, say, Saudi Arabia — speak for themselves.”
Urban also addressed the situation with Zieliński, saying he plans to speak with him as well to better understand his perspective.
Urban was officially named Poland’s new coach on Wednesday. He will be introduced to the media at a press conference on Thursday at Warsaw’s National Stadium.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, polskieradio24.pl, przegladsportowy.onet.pl