Robert Lewandowski is back! Barcelona striker immediately restored to Poland squad and given captaincy back under new coach after quitting amid armband row

Lewandowski has been recalled to the Poland national team by new manager Jan Urban for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. The Barcelona striker's return marks the end of his self-imposed international exile, which began following a public falling out with former coach Michal Probierz.

Lewandowski quit the national team after being stripped of the captaincy by Probierz, with the armband subsequently given to Piotr Zielinski. The conflict escalated after the 37-year-old withdrew from a training camp in June, citing fatigue. He later publicly stated he would not play for Poland again until Probierz was no longer the manager. Following the coach's dismissal, Lewandowski has immediately made himself available for selection once more.

Urban confirmed he had reached out to the prolific striker to facilitate his return, saying: "I'd like us to start training camp with a clean slate. Robert Lewandowski will be the team captain, and he will appear with me at Monday's press conference. I've appointed Piotr Zieliński as vice-captain, and Jan Bednarek will be the third captain. The players have already been informed of this."

Lewandowski is set to make his international comeback in two crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers in September. Poland will travel to face the Netherlands on September 4 before hosting Finland on September 7. His return provides a significant boost to their hopes of qualifying from a group that also contains Lithuania and Malta.