After hanging up his boots after Euro 2024, Wojciech Szczesny finally returned to the training pitch in September, signing for the FC Barcelona.
The fastest retirement of the year? No doubt. Although he had reached an agreement with Juventus to end his contract and benefit from his sporting retirement, Wojciech Szczesny finally took the same path as all schoolchildren when the school year began.
With a backpack on his back or almost, the Polish goalkeeper finally quickly found himself with a new great challenge: allowing FC Barcelona to compensate for the long absence of Marc-André ter-Stegen, victim of a ruptured patellar tendon.
FC Barcelona v BSC Young Boys – UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 / David Ramos/GettyImages
In a long interview granted this Thursday to Sports World the goalkeeper who passed through Arsenal explained the reasons for his departure. ” It’s a very strange story for me because the day before Marc’s injury I was 100% sure that Barça would say no to anyone. But when I received the call from Barça, when it became a reality, it was a different feeling. I looked at my My wife hoped she would just say “don’t do it.” And the privilege I feel wearing this shirt is what made me change my decision and nothing more. And I don’t think I would have done it for another club. It was probably fate .
A forceful decision, undoubtedly motivated by the presence in particular of his friend Robert Lewandowski. Unless. “ No, no, he was the first one who called me and said: ‘Look, if you have the chance, would you come back from retirement?’ And I talked to him for a while and we didn’t get anywhere. “I would say my wife was the most influential, but I can’t say it was just one person “.
“Tek” explained that he had been in talks mainly with Deco, but also with Hansi Flick: “ Yes, but when the coach called me I was already 99% determined, so he simply called me to congratulate me and explain his situation to me. vision of football ”, he stated.
Although he will have to wait a little longer to make his debut, Szczesny did not hide his excitement at joining the Catalan club.
