This is a story that no one had imagined just a few days ago, not even the protagonists. Marc-André ter Stegen’s serious knee injury (ruptured patellar tendon against Villarreal) changed everything. With the absence until the end of the season of its German goalkeeper, FC Barcelona needed an emergency solution. Iñaki Peña (25 years old) still appeared a little tender to assume this number one place alone. He will therefore leave it, or share it, with a new competitor: Wojciech Szczęsny.
The Pole did not expect to one day put on the Barça jersey, and for good reason. He announced his retirement from sports on August 27, once his contract at Juventus ended. The Old Lady had also protected her back and imposed a clause on the one who wore her colors for 7 years. In the event of a premature resumption, he had to pay a certain amount of money to his former team. A detail that had to be resolved, which has been done since the press release formalizing his arrival in Catalonia has been released.
Barça brings Szczęsny out of retirement
“FC Barcelona recruits Wojciech Szczęsny! FC Barcelona and Wojciech Szczęsny have reached an agreement regarding the signing of the goalkeeper until June 30, 2025» we can read in a press release on the Blaugrana website. According to the Catalan press, Hansi Flick and the Blaugrana management quickly thought of him to cover Ter Stegen’s injury. Robert Lewandowski, very close to his now former teammate in the selection, did not fail to play the intermediary either and found the words to convince him to put on the gloves again. Arriving this Monday in Barcelona to undergo the traditional medical examination, Szczęsny passed it without incident.
But to see Szczęsny in action, you will probably have to wait a few weeks. The goalkeeper has not played since Poland’s second match at the Euro this summer (against Austria) and he will need to get back into decent physical condition. He will also face competition from Iñaki Peña. While waiting for his new competitor to get back into shape, the Spaniard is promoted to the starting position and did not really shine against Osasuna with a heavy defeat (4-2). The arrival of Szczęsny will therefore bring competition and that is rather good news.
