In a dramatic turn of events in Polish football, national team head coach Michał Probierz has resigned from his position—just four days after star striker Robert Lewandowski announced he would no longer play for the national team as long as Probierz remained in charge.
Lewandowski, Poland’s all-time top scorer, accused the coach of betraying his trust and expressed deep hurt over how he was informed about being stripped of the captaincy—a role he had held since 2014. Probierz had handed the armband to experienced midfielder Piotr Zieliński.
On Sunday, the Polish Football Association issued a statement confirming a change in team leadership. Just 39 minutes later, Lewandowski took to social media to declare that he would not represent the national team as long as Probierz was at the helm.
In an interview with Polish sports outlet Sportowe Fakty the next day, the 36-year-old striker shared more details. He said he received a brief phone call from Probierz while putting his children to bed, only to see the official announcement about the captaincy change published shortly afterward on the federation’s website.
In a statement released on Thursday, the 52-year-old Probierz explained his decision to step down:
“I have come to the conclusion that, in the current situation, resigning as national team coach is the best decision for the good of the team. Holding this position has been the fulfillment of a professional dream and the greatest honor of my life.”
Probierz took over in 2023 following the departure of Fernando Santos. He successfully guided Poland to the Euro 2024 finals, though they were the first team to be eliminated from the tournament.
His contract was originally set to run until the end of the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign. In the current UEFA qualifiers, Poland are third in Group G with six points from three matches—just one point behind leaders Finland.
