The Polish national team announced on Sunday that Robert Lewandowski has been removed from the captaincy. According to the decision of coach Michał Probiez, Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zielinski will take over the captaincy.

Probiezhi has also informed Lewandowski, the entire Polish team and the coaching staff of his decision. This move was widely interpreted by the outside world as a response to Lewandowski's refusal to be selected for the current national team. The latter had previously missed Poland's warm-up match against Moldova and the World Cup qualifier against Finland on the grounds of "physical and mental exhaustion".

Lewandowski later confirmed in a statement that he would not play for Poland before Michał Probiez was sacked. The statement read: "Due to the current situation and the loss of trust in the coach, I have decided to withdraw from the Polish national team during his coaching period. I still hope to have the opportunity to play for the best fans in the world again in the future."

The 36-year-old Lewandowski has played 157 times for Poland since his debut in September 2008, contributing 84 goals and 35 assists. He has participated in four European Cups (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024) and two World Cups (2018, 2022) with the team, and has served as the captain of the national team for 11 years.

In the 2024/25 season, Lewandowski made 52 appearances for Barcelona, scored 42 goals and assisted 3 times, and won the La Liga championship, the King's Cup and the Spanish Super Cup with the team. During this period, he rested for 28 days due to lumbar and muscle problems.