Robert Lewandowski vows not to play for Poland again under Michal Probierz after 'losing trust' in head coach

Lewandowski withdrew from selection for Poland’s June camp after telling Probierz he was “mentally tired”. The 36-year-old was absent for Poland's 2-0 friendly win over Moldova on Friday and will also sit out their World Cup qualifier against Finland on June 10, having not travelled to meet up with his international colleagues. Now, the Barcelona star has announced he has no plans to return to the squad while Probierz is still in charge.

Lewandowski made the bombshell announcement via his social media channels on Sunday, saying: "Considering the circumstances and the loss of trust in the Polish National Team coach, I have decided to step back from playing for the Polish National Team as long as he remains the coach. I hope I will have the chance to play again for the best fans in the world."

Lewandowski's announcement came just hours after Poland had confirmed Probierz's decision to strip the Barcelona striker of captaincy duties and hand the armband to Piotr Zielinski instead. That honour had belonged to Lewandowski since 2014, when he succeeded Jakub Błaszczykowski in the role. No official reason has been given for the change as yet.

Lewandowski has won a record 158 caps for Poland to date, and is their all-time leading scorer with 85 goals. With his international career now on hold indefinitely, the former Bayern Munich frontman will enjoy a break from football before reporting back to Barcelona for pre-season.