On Monday, Wojciech Szczęsny appeared in the capital of Catalonia to undergo the required medical tests. This is a condition for him to join FC Barcelona (Robert Lewandowski already plays there). He is to replace the injured starting goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The contract with the Pole is to be concluded for a period until the end of June 2025. Recall that in August, Wojciech Szczęsny announced that he was ending his career.
Aleksandra Marciniak, partnership director at Sportfive, emphasizes that Wojciech Szczęsny, although his name and surname are unpronounceable by most foreigners,has long been known among fans in Europe and beyond. He has performed in England and Italy and has over 4.2 million followers on Instagram.
– And his sense of humor and slightly nonchalant style have already won him many fans. Some people know him from his club appearances, and others may remember how he saved a penalty shot by Messi at the World Cup in Qatar – he reminds.
Experts clearly indicate that Wojeciech Szczęsny’s contract with FC Barcelona is undoubtedly a big event. According to Grzegorz Kita, president of Sport Management Polska, for Wojciech Szczęsny, the contract with Barcelona is a bit like a “new life”, and certainly a new chapter and a new hand.
– This is a phenomenal moment for Polish sport. Two large Polish and international brands (Robert Lewandowski and Wojtek Szczęsny) and a global club phenomenon. We can only be happy that sport has provided us with such a treat that will go down in the history of Polish football – notes our interlocutor.
– Just a few years ago, few people dreamed of a Polish player in Barcelona, but it looks like we will soon see two. Wojtek is one of the best goalkeepers in the world and will certainly replace the injured Ter Stegen – adds Grzegorz Kordylas, marketing communications manager at BSS Group.
Szczęsny is a strong and recognizable brand
In Grzegorz Kita’s opinion, it is also necessary to appreciate how strong and recognizable the brand Szczęsny has created, as evidenced by even the scale of the media hype surrounding the contract with Barcelona. – It’s for Szczęsny himself an opportunity to take a global step higher in the context of global recognition, strengthening the personal brand but also entering a different, higher marketing level – says the president of Sport Management Polska.
Wojciech Szczęsny has so far been the hero of only a few advertising campaigns – unlike his teammates, he did not appear often in advertisements. Until recently, it could mainly be associated with Pepsi advertisements.
At the end of August, the campaign of the zondacrypto cryptocurrency exchange was launched, in which Szczęsny appears alongside, among others, Borys Szyc and Janusz Chabior. Together with several other players from the Polish national team, he also appeared during Euro 2024 in advertisements for sponsors: InPost and Orlen. Amazon is making a film about the former Polish goalkeeper.
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There will be no marketing frenzy
Will Wojciech Szczęsny’s transfer to FC Barcelona increase marketers’ interest in him? According to Aleksandra Marciniak voland “moving” will not change much in terms of its recognition and marketing attractiveness.
The expert believes that its popularity in Spain will increase. – But let’s remember that our representative goalkeeper already has quite a large collection of advertising cooperations, which – importantly – he selects carefully, focusing on quality and matching, not on the number of campaigns – he notes. – Let us also remember that Wojciech Szczęsny has officially retired from sports and decided to come back to stand between Barcelona’s posts for a year. This means that long-term partnerships, which are the most effective, are not an option – everyone knows that the contract will most likely end next seasonalthough you never know with Wojtek. All this means that I do not expect large international contracts. But maybe, for example, a company for which the Polish market is important will decide to launch a campaign with Szczęsny and Lewandowski, taking advantage of their good relations and natural chemistry between them? – predicts the expert.
Read also: Szczęsny is the star of the World Cup
In Grzegorz Kita’s opinion, Wojciech Szczęsny can gain a lot in terms of marketing by transferring to Barcelona. – The sheer scale of interest in this topic among the media and fans shows a lot. But there are no obvious solutions or variants of the situation. There are many factors that can help or hinder this. Much will depend on the Pole himself, his sports form, the quality of his performances and generally the way he adapts to the situation. It also cannot be underestimated that the player is returning from “sports retirement” (short, but still; and also mentally), he is not in the match rhythm but he is also outside the national team at the moment. Together it is a complicated equation with an unknown result – points out Grzegorz Kita.
He does not think that any brand outside Szczęsny’s or Barcelona’s orbit would be quick enough to consume the buzz surrounding the former Polish national team goalkeeper’s contract with Barcelona now, when emotions are both high and positive. – However, basing the marketing concept on the rest of the season is quite risky. It is not known when Szczęsny will actually step into goal, how the team will receive him, and, above all, what the quality of his performances will be – says our interlocutor.
Interest will increase in Spain and Poland
In turn, Grzegorz Kordylas, marketing communication manager at BSS Group, assumes that the increase in Wojciech Szczęsny’s marketing value will be limited to the Spanish and Polish markets. – In the event of good performances in Barcelona and a continuation of the great results with which Hansi Flick’s players started the season, his brand in the capital of Catalonia, as well as throughout the country, will certainly grow, which may result in new advertising contracts – says.
Our interlocutor reminds us of the recent launch of an advertising campaign for the zondacrypto cryptocurrency platform, operating around the world, in which Szczęsny appears alongside Borys Szyc and Janusz Chabior. – So we have a fresh example that brands are happy to use his services. There may be more opportunities for cooperation in the coming months, for two reasons. Szczęsny has become famous, and his transfer to Barcelona is currently making headlines in Poland and Spain. On the other hand, although Szczęsny has consistently defended in the best clubs in Europe over the last decade, its marketing potential has not been fully exploited. Therefore, there is no effect of satiety with his character among potential clients, as was the case with Robert Lewandowski at one point – he notes.
The BSS expert points out that, apart from his great football career, Wojciech Szczęsny’s charisma also works to his advantage.
– Self-confidence, which can be seen on and off the pitch, for example in conversations with journalists (a recent example – an interview with Kuba Wojewódzki and Piotr Kędzierski and answers to uncomfortable questions about politics) is his greatest asset. Currently, few Polish footballers enjoy such respect and esteem. I am sure that the interested party is well aware of this and instead of accepting the first offers of cooperation, he consciously manages his image, because he knows that being in the spotlight, it is easy to damage this image – sums up Grzegorz Kordylas.
