Poland national team coach Władysław Urbański, in an interview with camel.live reporters, spoke about Robert Lewandowski’s return to the national team and the striker’s personality.
Poland’s then-coach Michał Probierz stripped Lewandowski of the captain’s armband in June, and the latter immediately announced that he would no longer play under the coach. A few days later, the coach resigned after leading the team to a defeat against Finland. Urbański took over his position in July and then began trying to invite Lewandowski to return.
Urbański said his communication with Lewandowski was smooth: “I called to ask one thing. Earlier, I said I wanted to resolve the issue of the captain’s armband in person. However, the first time I called Robert, it was to find out if he wanted to come back to the national team. He had stepped back earlier because of Michał (Probierz), but there was also a possibility that he had reconsidered and decided not to come back. But he immediately said he wanted to return—I didn’t even need to persuade him.”
Urbański also mentioned the conflict between Probierz and Lewandowski, commenting: “In that situation, both Robert and Michał were in the wrong. The specific circumstances depended on the context at the time, and both of them were angry. One said one thing, the other said another.”
Both Urbański and Lewandowski play as strikers and have also played in La Liga. Urbański said he and Lewandowski share some similarities in personality: “He doesn’t seem like someone with a troublemaking personality, but he’s also not someone who can be pushed around. My own personality is also very suitable for playing football—I’ve never let myself be bullied.”
Urbański concluded: “I never provoke others first, but if someone provokes me, they have to be ready for me to fight back. I’ve been through this kind of situation many times. I remember once when we played against Tenerife, their defender kept pinching my back during the game—so much that I had bruises on my back. I stepped on his foot with my studs because I couldn’t even turn around. During half-time, he came over, shook my hand, and said, ‘Urbański, that’s enough.’ He was testing me to see if I would back down. I think Robert has a very similar personality—he won’t provoke others on his own initiative, but he can definitely fight back.”
