Lewandowski to boycott national team under current coach

Barcelona and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski [Courtesy]

Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski said Sunday he would not play for his national team Poland so long as coach Michal Probierz remained in charge.

The 36-year-old has played 158 times for Poland, scoring 85 goals, but earlier in the day was replaced as team captain by Piotr Zielinski.

"Taking into account the circumstances and a loss of trust in the coach, I have decided to resign from playing for the Poland national team for as long as he remains in charge," Lewandowski said on X.

But the former Bayern Munich centre-forward left the door open for a return.

"I hope I will still have another chance to play again for the best fans in the world," he said.

Probierz has been Poland's coach since 2023, and led them to the Euro 2024 finals, where they failed to win a game and were eliminated in the group stage.

Earlier on Sunday, the Polish Football Association announced on its website the coach's decision to replace Lewandowski as skipper.

"The coach has personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the technical staff of his decision," the federation said.

Lewandowski is not part of the Polish squad in the current international window. According to Polish news agency PAP, the player asked to be excused to rest.

Lewandowski has just won a domestic Spanish treble with his club, Barcelona.

Poland beat Moldova 2-0 on June 6 in a friendly and faces Finland on Tuesday in Helsinki in Group G of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

With two wins from as many matches, Poland top the group.