WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Robert Lewandowski will return to Poland as its captain after a row with the previous coach led the Barcelona star to quit the national team.
New coach Jan Urban included Lewandowski in his squad on Friday for upcoming World Cup qualifiers, saying that his nation’s all-time top scorer would get the captain's armband back as well.
“I’d like us to start training camp with a clean slate. Robert Lewandowski will be the team captain,” Urban said.
Lewandowski had quit after former coach Michal Probierz stripped him of the captaincy ahead of a qualifier against Finland in June. Probierz resigned after his team lost to the Finns without their top player.
The 12 group winners from Europe automatically qualify for 2026 World Cup in North America. Another four teams will advance from a playoff of the group runners-up.
Finland leads their qualifying group with seven points. The Netherlands and Poland both have six.
Poland plays away against the Netherlands on Sept. 7 and hosts Finland three days later.
The 37-year-old Lewandowski has scored 85 goals for Poland.
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The Associated Press
