Before the top duel in the World Cup qualification against the Netherlands, Poland is almost certain of taking part in the playoffs – this is also due to the still indispensable top striker and captain. Robert Lewandowski is Poland’s undisputed leader again after the power struggle with the former national coach.
The last game before the international break was extremely successful for FC Barcelona: Barca celebrated an important 4-2 win at Celta Vigo, which brought the Catalans back to within two points of arch-rivals Real Madrid in the Spanish league. The match winner for “Blaugrana” was once again Robert Lewandowski, who scored three of Barca’s four goals in his first starting eleven appearance after four weeks. The now 37-year-old impressively demonstrated what value he can still have for the top Spanish team.
Future at Barcelona uncertain – Kane as a possible successor?
It was his goals 106 to 108 in the Barca jersey, and at the same time a signal to the club officials, who have been blocking all questions about a possible extension of the veteran striker’s contract beyond the summer of 2026 for a remarkably long time. Even after the victory in Vigo, coach Hansi Flick said it was “still too early to talk about the future”.
The “Guardian” was more specific: The English newspaper reported that Barcelona wanted to sign Harry Kane from FC Bayern next summer. For the fixed transfer fee of supposedly 65 million euros, as the successor to Lewandowski.
Great euphoria in Poland before the duel against the Netherlands
His advisor has already had to deny reports about a possible end to Poland’s storm icon’s career. In his homeland, Lewandowski is still considered a folk hero and the greatest hope for the third World Cup in a row. In qualifying, the Poles are in second place in Group G with 13 points behind the Netherlands (16), with two games remaining. On Friday (8:45 p.m.) the two top teams will meet in a direct duel in Warsaw. The fans’ euphoria is great; according to the Polish media, the association reported requests for more than half a million tickets. With 58,000 spectators, the stadium in Warsaw will be fully occupied, and Lewandowski was also looking forward to a “extraordinary atmosphere“.
In purely mathematical terms, it would still be possible for the Poles to win the group and qualify for the World Cup directly – but in the event of a win against “Oranje” and a possible tie on points, they would still have to make up for the goal difference, which is currently 13 goals worse. Second place and the associated participation in the playoffs are unlikely to be taken away from the Poles.
Lewandowski is once again the undisputed leader after a power struggle with ex-coach Probierz
This is also thanks to Lewandowski, who contributed two goals and an assist in the last two games, in the victories against direct pursuers Finland and Lithuania. Lewandowski was once again in top form in the national team, completely different to what he was under national coach Michal Probierz, who resigned in the summer. There was an open argument with Probierz after the coach took away the captaincy from his top star. Lewandowski then declared that he no longer wanted to play for the national team under Probierz – a power struggle with an expected outcome.
But under the new coach Jan Urban, the selection has also recently impressed in terms of football – with “Lewangoalski” as the undisputed leader, who is also Poland’s captain again. After his muscle fiber tear in October and a forced break of several weeks, Lewandowski was in danger of being out of the upcoming, decisive qualifying games. The fact that he managed to get fit in time and apparently effortlessly return to his old strength is given a lot of credit in his home country: There are no suitable adjectives to describe the phenomenon of the 37-year-old captain, wrote the newspaper “Gazeta Wyborcza”.
Lewandowski shortly before the game as a state guest in New York
Criticism of the eternal Lewandowski is only very isolated, if at all. The sports newspaper “Przeglad Sportowy”, for example, criticized the fact that Lewandowski arrived late at the training camp before the game against the Netherlands. He flew in from New York, where he was attending a state banquet marking the anniversary of Poland’s independence, at the invitation of the Polish government. With such appearances, Lewandowski shows that the national team is now more of a secondary concern for him, the newspaper commented, and in doing so he has also undermined the authority of national coach Urban. But the crucial thing is: a striker of his class is still irreplaceable for the Polish team.