Lewandowski: "I won't play with this coach"

Robert Lewandowski has declared that he will no longer represent Poland under current head coach Michal Probierz, following the decision to strip him of the captaincy—a move that may not be as controversial among his teammates as one might assume.

Probierz handed the armband to Piotr Zielinski, with the Polish Football Association confirming: "The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the training staff of his decision."

Lewandowski responded swiftly and firmly through social media: "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." He added: "I hope I will have the chance to play again for the best fans in the world."

For a player of his stature—Poland’s all-time leading scorer and a decorated star at club level—such a rift might be seen as a major setback for the national side. But according to Onet, a prominent Polish outlet, some within the squad had already grown weary of Lewandowski’s influence. The report claims that if the captaincy had been decided by team vote, he would not have retained it.

Reported tensions reached a tipping point during Poland’s unconvincing 2-0 victory over Malta in March, when Lewandowski remained on the bench due to fitness issues, further exposing the disconnect between the star striker and the rest of the squad.