Mumbai, June 9: Robert Lewandowski will no longer play for Poland while Michal Probierz remains head coach, the Barcelona striker said. The 36-year-old Poland captain, who has played a record 158 games for his country and is the leading scorer with 85 goals, cited tiredness from a La Liga title-winning season with Barcelona for pulling out of last Friday's 2-0 friendly win over Moldova and Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Finland. Probierz subsequently named Inter Milan midfielder Piotr Zielinski as the new captain. Barcelona Striker Robert Lewandowski Meets, Chats With Red Bull's Max Verstappen Ahead Of F1 Spanish Grand Prix 2025 (Watch Video).

The Polish soccer association said: “Piotr Zielinski has been named the new captain of the national team by head coach Michal Probierz. The coach personally informed Robert Lewandowski, the entire team and the coaching staff of his decision.”

Robert Lewandowski's Tweet

Lewandowski suffered an injury to his left thigh on April 19 in a La Liga match against Celta Vigo and was sidelined for two weeks. He missed four games, including a thrilling 3-3 Champions League semifinal first leg against Inter in Barcelona. Robert Lewandowski Completes 100 Goals For Barcelona, Reaches Landmark Tally During La Liga 2024-25 Match Against Athletic Club.

He recovered in time for the second leg and was used as substitute in a 4-3 defeat that sent Inter to the final. Poland leads World Cup Group G qualifying with two wins from two games.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)