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| ReutersYonhap News |
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| ReutersYonhap News |
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Roberto Lewandowski (FC Barcelona), who declared that he would not accept the call-up of the Polish national team after being deprived of his captaincy, continues.
In the midst of this, it was argued that Polish national team players welcomed Lewandowski's deprivation of the captain's position. Polish media Onet said on the 9th (Korea time) 'The national team players are tired of Lewandowski's arrogance. He would not have taken the armband if the claim had been decided by the vote.'
The Polish Football Association said in a statement on the 8th that Piotr Zielinski (Inter Milan) has become the new captain of the national team and has informed all members of the national team. Lewandowski shocked soccer fans around the world by saying on his SNS, `I have lost confidence in coach Mihau-Provietsi, so I have decided not to participate in the Polish national team as long as he is in charge.'
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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| EPAYonhap News |
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The problem is that this influence has flowed in a direction that is not helpful to the national team. Onet said: 'In the course of Poland's 2-0 win over Malta in March, Lewandowski was sitting on the bench citing injuries. 'But after the game, he berated the players, the coaches in the locker room, and he did not hide his feelings of discomfort in public. Lewandowski also expressed discontent about the lack of young players in the national team and the lack of conditions for generational change, the media said, adding that there has long been an opinion that he would save himself in the national team to play for Barcelona. Lewandowski, who did not respond to the June A-match call-up, told Polish media that he had returned from injury and that he was "not only in good condition, but also in bad spirits."
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. Poland, which made the June list without Lewandowski, won 2-0 in a warm-up match against Moldova. Coach Provietsi plans to announce his position on the captain's replacement at a press conference for the 2026 North-China World Cup European qualifying match against Finland.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
