Robert Lewandowski is ‘not afraid’ to play in another World Cup, but the Poland captain has admitted his team needs to change tactics.
The striker saw his side lose 3-1 to France in the last leg of the round of 16, being eliminated from Qatar 2022 after a disappointing campaign in which they also struggled in the group stages.
Arriving at this tournament without a World Cup goal in his career, Lewandowski added his second goal in the tournament from a late penalty kick against Les Bleus.
But when asked if he would still be involved in the 2026 edition just under four years later – by which time he would be 37 years old – the veteran Barcelona frontman didn’t answer.
“Physically, I’m not afraid of it,” he said. “But there are so many things that need to be addressed first. Now it’s hard to say. From a sporting point of view, this does not scare me, but there are still many uncertainties.”
Lewandowski hinted that a move away from the defense-oriented actions that Poland demonstrated in Qatar might be needed.
“There is still a long way to go and obviously you need to enjoy the game,” he said. “If we attack, we try to attack, it’s a little different. But if we play defensively, there will be no joy.”
France 3-1 Poland
world champions use the best player in the world to reach #Soccer World Cup quarterfinal
Nobody wants to fight Kylian Mbappe#FRAPOL pic.twitter.com/DT7cjxlqZh
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 4, 2022
Poland have always been underdogs against France who, even with several key stars missing due to injury, have become one of the favorites to win the title they won four years ago.
Lewandowski admits his team will always have problems, adding: “It’s a tough match to play against France.
“We fought and tried our best. In the first half we played very, very well, there were a few chances. Maybe if we had scored the first goal it would have been a different game.
“Unfortunately, we conceded a goal in the last minute of the first half. It’s always hard to come back from that. We responded well, we were pushed to come back. We can be proud because we have tried everything.”