Former Polish Football Association president Grzegorz Lato has called on national team captain Robert Lewandowski to retire from international football following a five-match goal drought.
Lato argued that the 38-year-old forward has suffered a noticeable drop in form during Poland's recent five-game winless run, leaving the side struggling in their international campaign.
Lewandowski last scored for Biało-Czerwoni in a 2-1 playoff victory against Albania. His recent performances have drawn sharp criticism, particularly after a 0-0 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was widely viewed as one of the worst national team displays of his career. Poland subsequently suffered a 1-3 defeat to Sweden, a match in which Mateusz Żukowski impressed and sparked debate over whether he should start more frequently.
Speaking to Polish sports website WP SportoweFakty, Lato insisted that Lewandowski needed to recognize when his time at the highest level had come to an end. Lato questioned how Poland could expect to compete at the highest level with a 38-year-old leading the attack, adding that even players based at major foreign clubs have physical limits.
Comparison with Lionel Messi
Lato pointed to Argentina captain Lionel Messi as an example for Lewandowski to follow. He noted that Messi remained in excellent condition but made a firm decision to step away from international football at the age of 38. Lato warned that if Lewandowski continues to play while struggling, supporters will eventually remember how his career ended rather than his historic goalscoring achievements.
Lato is one of the most celebrated figures in Polish sports history, having won the Golden Boot as top scorer at the 1974 World Cup in West Germany before later serving as head of the Polish Football Association, known as the PZPN. Lewandowski has long served as Poland's primary attacking threat and talisman, but public scrutiny has intensified as the team's overall form has deteriorated in recent fixtures.
Deteriorating form and upcoming fixtures
When asked about suggestions that Lewandowski's form was still open to debate, Lato rejected the idea entirely. He said there was nothing left to debate about a player who had stopped running and resorted to waving his arms on the pitch. Lato observed that when Lewandowski was under 30, his speed and acceleration created constant problems for opposition defenders, but insisted that those days have passed and the national team must focus on the present and future.
Poland now faces two critical upcoming fixtures as they attempt to salvage their campaign. The team will play Romania on October 2 at 20:45, followed by a return match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on October 5 at 20:45. Failure to secure victories in both matches would leave the mood surrounding the national team in a disastrous state following the international gathering.
