Robert Lewandowski hints at international retirement after World Cup exit | OneFootball

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·5 December 2022

Robert Lewandowski hints at international retirement after World Cup exit

Article image:Robert Lewandowski hints at international retirement after World Cup exit

Robert Lewandowski has admitted he could walk away from Poland duty after being disappointed by their approach to the World Cup.

Poland made it to the round of 16, where they were comprehensively beaten by France, but many critics have argued they were fortunate to make it out of a group stage in which goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny needed to make two penalty saves.


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With Lewandowski now 34 years old, questions have understandably been asked about his international future, and the Barcelona forward admitted he would need to rediscover his joy playing with Poland if he was to continue.

"There's still a long way to go [before the next World Cup] and many factors influence whether I will play," he told TVP Sport. "The joy of the game is needed. This will be an important element, even in the near future.

"Of course, it's different when we try to attack. When we play more defensively, there is no joy."

Widely heralded as one of the best strikers in the world right now, Lewandowski scored his first World Cup goals in Qatar, having drawn a blank as Poland were eliminated from the group stage in 2018 - the first time they had qualified for the tournament since 2006.

At club level, however, there is no doubting his credentials. Lewandowski scored 344 goals in 375 games for Bayern Munich before joining Barcelona last summer, and he has maintained his scoring streak with 18 strikes in just 19 outings.

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