By Mark Gleeson
HAMBURG, Germany (Reuters) – Given Germany is where Robert Lewandowski forged his fearsome reputation, Euro 2024 would have been a fitting arena for the Polish poacher to add significant gloss to an illustrious career and potentially end his international playing days on a high.
The 35-year-old striker, however, has been left with only one more match at the tournament after Poland were eliminated on Friday.
It has been a horror return to previously happy hunting grounds for Lewandowksi, who spent most of his career in Germany, rattling in goals and breaking records.
A thigh injury sustained Poland’s last warm-up match meant he was forced to sit out their opening Group D clash against the Netherlands and he came on as a second-half substitute against Austria on Friday – too late to make any impact.
Successive defeats condemned Poland to last place in the group, with no chance of moving into contention for one of the four best third-placed finishers in the last-16, even if they beat tournament favourites France in Dortmund on Tuesday.
Dortmund was one of Lewandowski’s favourite places during his spectacular Bundesliga career, which included finishing as the German league’s top scorer five times. His overall tally of 312 goals in 384 Bundesliga outings is bettered only by Gerd Mueller.
Four seasons at Borussia Dortmund, who signed him as a 21-year-old from Lech Poznan in 2010, were followed by eight years of brilliance at Bayern Munich, including breaking Mueller’s 49-year-old best single-season record of 40 league goals by hitting 41 across a remarkable 2020-21 campaign.
Lewandowski is easily Poland’s most capped international and leading goal scorer with 82 strikes in 151 matches.
Asked before the tournament about possibly retiring from international football, he said: “I cannot say yes or no. It depends on many different things.
“If I feel something inside in my head, saying to me ‘Okay, maybe it’s time to say goodbye’ then I know that the time is coming. But until now, I didn’t feel this kind of feeling.”
Clarity on his future with Poland, however, may come after Tuesday’s match, although Lewandowski’s hunger for goals showed no sign of dwindling last season as he netted 19 LaLiga goals for Barcelona.
(Editing by Ed Osmond)
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