Robert Lewandowski left ‘betrayed and hurt’ by coach in Poland captaincy row

Robert Lewandowski has said that he has been left feeling “betrayed” and “very hurt” by the head coach of the Polish national team, Michal Probierz, after quitting the setup because of a row over losing the captaincy. The Barcelona striker was stripped of the armband on Sunday by Probierz, who has appointed the midfielder Piotr Zielinski as captain instead.

Lewandowski then announced he was quitting the national team on social media, citing a “loss of trust in the coach”, refusing to return to play for his country “for as long as [the coach] remains in charge”. Probierz has been in charge of Poland since 2023, with Lewandowski leading the team at Euro 2024 last summer. “I hope I will still have another chance to play again for the best fans in the world,” the 36-year-old said.

In an interview with the Polish website WP SportoweFakty on Monday, Lewandowski was scathing in his criticism of how Probierz had handled the situation. “I haven’t been captain for a year or two. I’ve been wearing the armband for 11 years, and I’ve been playing for the national team for 17. It seemed to me that such matters should be handled differently,” he said.

“Everything was communicated over the phone. It really shouldn’t be like this. The coach betrayed my trust … The national team has always been the most important thing to me. At the same time, I’m very hurt by what happened. It’s not even about the decision regarding the armband, but about the way it was communicated to me.”

At a press conference on Monday, Probierz said that he had called Lewandowski on Sunday night from Finland, where Poland play on Tuesday, about his decision to hand Zielinski the captain’s armband. “Robert replied that the armband means nothing and it won’t change anything in the team,” Probierz said.

About a second call with the striker later that evening, Probierz said: “He told me to make it sound like he had given up the armband. I replied that I wouldn’t do that. Later, I learned from the media that Robert had given up playing for the national team. No one is closing the door on him, but I wish him luck … There are situations in life when you get offended and then you move on. In football, you can’t get offended.”

When asked whether he had considered retiring from international football all together, Lewandowski, who also accused Probierz of “caving into media pressure” and “breaking agreements”, said: “I want to sit down and think about it all calmly. I need to catch my breath. Then I will be able to say more about my thoughts and what’s next. Today there is regret and anger. I have always cared a lot about the national team. Nothing has changed in that respect.”

The striker, who is by some distance Poland’s record appearance-maker and top scorer, was not included in Probierz’s squad for their fixtures in June in order to rest after finishing the club season with Barcelona. “Playing in the white and red colours has always been a dream come true for me, but sometimes the body gives a signal that it is necessary to take a breather for a moment,” Lewandowski wrote on social media on 2 June.

Lewandowski did however attend Friday’s friendly win against Moldova, appearing on the bench alongside the head coach Probierz, as Poland bade farewell to the forward Kamil Grosicki, who was earning his 95th and final cap.

Two days later, the Polish FA said Lewandowski had been replaced by Zielinski as captain of the national team “by decision of the coach”. A statement said: “The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the training staff of his decision”. Probierz said on Monday that “the time and place in which such decisions are made is always very difficult, especially since he is an outstanding player, but I decided that this is a good time for a change.”

Lewandowski has made 158 appearances for Poland – 49 more than the second-highest cap holder Jakub Blaszczykowski – and scored 85 goals – 37 more than the second top scorer, Wlodzimierz Lubanski. He has played at two World Cups and four European Championships, including Euro 2012, jointly hosted by Poland and Ukraine. Lewandowski first captained his country in a World Cup qualifier against San Marino in 2013.

Poland face Finland in Helsinki on Tuesday night looking to keep up their 100% record in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

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