After his team’s 3-1 loss to France in the World Cup’s last-16 on Sunday in Qatar, Poland captain Robert Lewandowski declined to say if it was his final World Cup match.
Lewandowski, a striker for Barcelona, converted a late penalty for a Poland team that was defeated by the powerful French onslaught in Doha.
He will be almost 38 by the time the next World Cup comes around in North America in 2026 but he suggested that issues beyond his physical condition were more likely to see him end his international career.
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“Physically I’m not afraid of this but we have so many different things outside of football, whether your happiness is still there and what’s going on around so it’s tough to say now,” admitted the former Bayern Munich striker.
“From the sporting side I’m not afraid but there are different things that altogether can decide whether it will be the last one or not.”
Robert Lewandowski greets Kylian Mbappe at the end of the Qatar 2022 World Cup round of 16 football match between France and Poland at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha on December 4, 2022. (AFP / Odd Andersen)
Lewandowski has enjoyed a prolific career for club and country but had never scored a World Cup goal until he netted in Poland’s group stage win over Saudi Arabia — he even missed a penalty in their opening draw with Mexico.
Despite Poland’s exit he insisted that it had been a successful tournament after they made it out of the group stage at the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
“We wanted to still be in the World Cup but in the end we achieved our goal,” he said.
“We wanted to play after the group stage. If you play against the world champions it’s always tough but as a team we knew what kind of deficit we have.”
Meanwhile Poland coach Czeslaw Michniewicz admitted that not playing for one of the leading international sides made it harder for Lewandowski to shine at the very highest level.
“Expectations for the top players like Mbappe and Messi are always huge and his situation is difficult because the style of play of Portugal or France is more beneficial to the forwards,” Michniewicz said.
“We have a different style. We have some limitations and need to cover the gap in levels when we play against a team with Messi or Mbappe.
“Despite his challenging circumstances, he still has a chance to score for his country. If we had been playing against Andorra, he might have scored five goals.”
Lewandowski can lead Poland into future competitions, Michniewicz continued, with the Euro 2024 in Germany as the next goal.
He is the leader of the national team and will choose his own future, but based on the way he is currently performing, I believe he can serve as captain for many years to come.
