I'm not going to the national team as long as there's a coach! 37-year-old Polish scoring machine team shocked to lose captain's armband

Jun 09, 2025

I'm not going to the national team as long as there's a coach! 37-year-old Polish scoring machine team shocked to lose captain's armband



I'm not going to the national team as long as there's a coach! 37-year-old Polish scoring machine team shocked to lose captain's armband
EPAYonhap News
"I won't go to the national team as long as the coach is there!"

Robert Lewandowski (37, Barcelona) declared his intention to boycott the national team.

Lewandowski is the best player in Polish football history with 85 A-match goals and a veteran star player loved by soccer fans around the world.He was consistently recognized and loved for his ability to go against the years. However, Polish national team coach Michal Proviertz decided to hand over Lewandowski's captain's armband to Piotr Zielinski.




The Polish Football Association also informed Lewandowski and the entire team and staff of the decision" he confirmed.

Lewandowski left the team due to conflicts with coaches and teammates, and immediately responded on his social media shortly after the captain's change. "Considering the current situation and the loss of confidence in the Polish national team manager, it has been decided that he will stop playing for the national team as long as he remains the manager"I hope to have a chance to play again for the best fans in the world."

Poland's fans were in a panic due to the sharp war between the world-class striker and the national team. Most people are concerned about Lewandowski's absence as a big blow to Polish soccer. However, Polish media Onet mentioned Lewandowski's feud with the players. 'The rest of the squad is already tired of his confident demeanor, and Lewandowski would not have been elected if Captain had been voted for in a popularity vote.




I'm not going to the national team as long as there's a coach! 37-year-old Polish scoring machine team shocked to lose captain's armband
I'm not going to the national team as long as there's a coach! 37-year-old Polish scoring machine team shocked to lose captain's armband
Barcelona's Polish forward #09Robert Lewandowski
Lewandowski was benched in a tough 2-0 win over Malta in March, citing health concerns. According to reports, Lewandowski criticized young players for their lack of skills in the locker room after the game and insisted that young players should be developed intensively and made the most of them, saying they have no path to growth or no quality players. On the other hand, speculation arose in the squad that Lewandowski was saving his performance by sitting on the bench for Barcelona's competition for the championship. Lewandowski withdrew from the national team's training camp in June due to his condition, but attended last week's match against Moldova (2-0 wins) and shared Kamil Grosski's retirement ceremony for the national team.

Former Polish Football Association president and another legend, Djibinhoff Bonniek, "If you are the captain of the team, you should take responsibility for the team. It's not just about leading the team and kicking the captain's armband. Attending Grossitsky's retirement game is for image management purposes," he said, shooting Lewandowski.

Lewandowski is a living legend who scored 85 goals in 158 A matches for the Polish national team, and has been captain for 11 years since 2014.




Proviertz, who has been embroiled in a feud with Lewandowski, took the helm of the Polish national team in 2023 to replace Fernando Santos, who was replaced by the ousted coach. After breaking away from the Euro 2024 group stage, he is currently ranked No. 1 in Group G by beating Lithuania and Malta in the 2026 North-China World Cup European qualifiers. Poland is set to play the third Group G match against Finland in the European qualifying round for the North-China World Cup at 3:45 a.m. on the 11th. The coach before this game will make an official statement.



Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.