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| APYonhap News |
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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Roberto Lewandowski (36, FC Barcelona), Poland's best striker in history, announced his temporary retirement from the national team.
Lewandowski said on social media on the 8th (Korea Standard Time) that he `decided not to participate in the Polish national team because he had lost trust in the coach' and `hopefully we can play again for the best fans in the world.'
The deprivation of the captaincy of the national team was the cause. Coach Mihau Provietzsche recently announced that Piotr Zielinski (Inter Milan) will be appointed as the new captain of the national team instead of Lewandowski. After the announcement, Lewandowski announced his temporary retirement from the national team, expressing his discomfort.
Lewandowski is the best striker in Polish history. He was a seven-time top scorer in the German Bundesliga and won the FIFA Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive time (2020-2021). He has won numerous individual titles, including the European Champions League's top scorer (2019-2020 season) and the International Federation of Football History Statistics (2020-2021). The national team also scored 85 goals in 158 A matches, including two World Cups (2018 Russia, 2022 Qatar). It is evaluated that the heyday has passed, but the influence within the team is still powerful.
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| 신화Yonhap News |
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| EPAYonhap News |
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Provietsi took the helm of the Polish national team in September 2023. He only failed in the group stage at Euro 2024 the following year, but is ranked first in the group by defeating Lithuania and Malta in the European qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. Until now, the Polish national team has been evaluated as overly dependent on Lewandowski despite having talented players. Coach Provietzsche expressed his willingness to improve his constitution and change the generation by excluding Lewandowski ahead of the warm-up match against Moldova and the fourth European qualifying match against Finland. Poland continued its rise with a complete victory in the warm-up match against Moldova. However, Lewandowski refused to call up the national team under Coach Provietsi beyond protesting against the deprivation of the captain's position, leading to a match against Finland in a chaotic atmosphere.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
