Robert Lewandowski on Euro 2024 in Germany: it's a sentimental return for me

The Polish national football team gathered in Warsaw last Sunday, where they began preparations for the European Championship in Germany. There, they will play in a devilishly difficult group with the Netherlands (June 16), Austria (June 21), and France (June 25). For the captain of the Polish national team himself, 35-year-old Lewandowski, this will be his fourth consecutive Euro. The furthest he had managed to lead the team was quarterfinals in 2016.

"Certainly, I can try to lead the team to success, to play not only good football but also to earn points in the group, and then we'll see what happens next. Of course, we're aware that the group is tough, but I believe in this team, I believe in the guys. From the inside, I feel this positive power, and I hope it will be visible at the Euro," the F.C. Barcelona striker said.

He stressed that "there is an atmosphere, there is chemistry in the team". "Honestly, I'm looking forward to the tournament with excitement and with a kind of inner peace that everything is functioning well. Training sessions look great. We can't complain on anything," he added.

Lewandowski pointed out that in the European Championships, every match is important, and given the tournament format, even the last one, against France, could decide Poland's fate in the group stage. "You know, the first matches always build mental strength, that's why this tournament starts for us from the first minute of the match against the Netherlands," he stressed.

Monika Olejnik reminded that the Euro will be held in Germany, and German fans were known to applaud Lewandowski even when he played against their team. "I've spent a lot of time there, met many people, and learned a lot. For me, it's a sentimental return. I'm going to Germany with a smile on my face, a positive attitude, and appreciating where I am in my life and career.

"I've changed my approach to major tournaments a bit. I know there will be pressure and expectations, that's all part of major tournaments, but we must learn to keep the ball with ease - that is what we're working on every day," he explained.

Speaking about expectations ahead of the tournament, "Lewy" said that they were usually unrealistically heightened. "Now it's calm, there are no expectations, so it might be better for us. This is football. Here, one match can decide that a theoretically weaker team grows mentally in such a way that in the following matches, they start playing as no one expected them to."

Asked about coach Michał Probierz, Lewandowski stated that the manager "knows when to be demanding and when to ease off" and that "above all, he is honest". He also said that the football success of his dreams would be winning something with the Polish national team. "But whether that's possible, I don't know," he said with a smile.

Lewandowski also commented on Juergen Klopp's departure from Liverpool and reminisced about the times when he worked with him at Borussia Dortmund. He said that he treated the German coach as a father, having lost his dad as a teenager. It was under Klopp in Dortmund that the Polish trio, which Lewandowski formed with Jakub Błaszczykowski and Łukasz Piszczek, was born.

"At the beginning, we spent a lot of time together, stayed overnight at each other's places. I practically lived next door to Łukasz for the first three years. Kuba lived maybe a kilometer away from us. Over time, I knew I had to learn the language, make contact with other young players. I didn't want to rely on others, ask for help: 'Kuba, translate.' I knew the guys had their own things going on. This personal connection later somewhat weakened, but on the field, our connection was always at the same level," Poland's captain said.