Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski has announced he will not play for the Poland national team for as long as coach Michał Probierz remains in charge.
Lewandowski, 36, cited “physical and mental tiredness” at the end of a long season with Barça as the reason for making himself unavailable for his country during the current international window.
As a result, Probierz opted to replace Lewandowski as Poland captain, with Internazionale’s Piotr Zieliński handed the role.
Lewandowski has subsequently announced he is stepping away from international football, although he has left the window open to return.
“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,” the veteran forward posted on social media.
“I hope I will still have the chance to play again for the best fans in the world.”
Lewandowski missed key games at the end of the club season with a hamstring injury, including the Champions League semifinal against Inter and the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid.
He did return to feature in the final three games of the campaign, scoring twice as Barça clinched LaLiga, but opted against joining up with Poland for a friendly against Moldova and a World Cup qualifier against Finland this month.
“Returning from injury, I told Coach Probierz that I did not feel good physically, but especially mentally,” Lewandowski told Polish media earlier this week.
Lewandowski has won more caps (158) and scored more goals (85) than anyone else in the history of the Polish national team.
Poland have won their opening two qualifiers in Group G ahead of Tuesday’s game against Finland as they look to book their place at the World Cup in North America next year.
Probierz has been in charge of the team since 2023, when he replaced predecessor Fernando Santos after impressing during a short stint in charge of the country’s U21 team.
He led Poland to Euro 2024 last summer, where they exited the competition in the group stage after failing to win a game.
Espn.co.uk
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