Barcelona superstar steps aside from national team duties due to ‘loss of confidence in the coach’ | OneFootball

Several FC Barcelona players took good advantage of the arrival of Hansi Flick on the Blaugrana bench, and one such player who returned to his best level under the German coach was the Polish striker Robert Lewandowski.

Despite being 36 years of age, the Pole had a very good 2024-25 season, in which he scored 42 goals in 52 appearances, and also competed for the Pichichi trophy till the very end of the season.

Robert Lewandowski steps aside from national team duties

However, after such a good season with Barcelona, the Pole has been facing controversy with his national team. After skipping the last national team call-up, the veteran striker generated even more controversy recently as he announced that he has resigned from national team duties.

As Mundo Deportivo has reported, the Barcelona forward took to social media to announce his decision and pointed the finger at one person, the Polish national team coach, Michal Probierz. His social media post went as:

“Considering the circumstances and the loss of confidence in the coach, I have decided to step away from playing for the national team as long as he remains in charge. I hope to be able to play again for the best national team in the world.”

Conflict with the coach at a crucial time

Photo by Rafal Oleksiewicz/Getty Images

This announcement has come as a surprise and has had a significant impact on the Polish Football Federation, as its team continues to compete in the qualifying phase for the World Cup 2026.

Lewandowski himself did not give any explanations in his social media post, but media reports indicate that the coach’s preference for captaincy is one of the main bones of contention between him and the Barcelona star.

This conflict came to the fore when he decided to skip his last national team call-up for the matches against Moldova and Finland. However, Robert Lewandowski had justified his decision by pointing to his tiredness after a season full of games.

However, now he has quit his national team, and it remains to be seen whether he will don the Polish national side’s jersey again.