Robert Lewandowski had turned his back on the Polish national team after disagreements. But under new coach Jan Urban, he is now back—as captain.
“Robert Lewandowski will be the team captain,” Urban announced on the Polish Football Association’s website, where the squad was announced. The 63-year-old added that this decision “is final” and that he considers the “captaincy issue closed.”
Lewandowski resigned in June after a conflict with then-national coach Michal Probierz. “In view of the circumstances and the loss of trust in the coach of the Polish national team, I have decided not to play for the Polish national team until he leaves,” he said in June. Probierz had stripped the FC Barcelona striker of the captain’s armband, which was handed over to Piotr Zielinski (Inter Milan).
Probierz resigned shortly afterwards. Since July, Urban, former coach of Gornik Zabrze around Lukas Podolski, has been in charge of the national team. “At the moment, we can’t afford to have Robert out of the national team,” Urban said when he took office, fueling Polish fans’ hopes for the Barcelona player’s return.
First in the Netherlands, then against Finland
Lewandowski has played 157 international matches since his debut in 2008, scoring 84 goals. In World Cup qualifying Group G, Poland is currently in third place with six points from three games, most recently suffering a 2-1 defeat in Finland—their first game without Lewandowski.
Poland will play the Netherlands in Rotterdam on September 4 and Finland again in Chorzow, Poland, on September 7. The squad also includes Bundesliga players Kamil Grabara (VfL Wolfsburg), Arkadiusz Pyrka (FC St. Pauli), and Jakub Kaminski (1. FC Köln).