Barcelona Signs Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny On A Free Transfer, Just One Month After Initially Retiring From Football.

Barcelona confirmed the signing of Wojciech Szczesny on a one-year deal on Wednesday, just over a month (36-days) since he retired.

Szczesny, who was among the spectators as Barca thrashed Young Boys in the Champions League yesterday, joined the club as a free agent.

The LaLiga giants opted to sign Szczesny after first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen was ruled out with a long-term knee injury in their 5-1 win against Villarreal last month.

The Polish stopper had initially retired from football in the summer which he announced on 27 August after his contract with Juventus was terminated. But he has now been lured out of retirement and will spend the rest of the 2024-25 season with Barcelona.

Szczęsny speaking on the transfer said:“I’m so proud to be at Barça and I’m ready! Lewandowski was the first person to call me.

“It took some convincing. At the start I wasn't sure I was ready, but my friends and family told me: if you don’t accept Barça, you’re very stupid. 

“I agree with them!”.

“This is a moment of great pride. I was ready to retire and happy with that decision... He continued.

“Being here in the city during the first few days, and seeing how people treated me, made me realize how important this is to them.

“This makes me proud to be part of this family, because even though this is a big club with a great institution, you feel the sense of family, and that is important to me. That's why I decided to extend my career a little longer.”

During his career, he played for top European clubs such as Arsenal, Roma and Juventus since leaving his home town of Warsaw at the age of 16. 

He moved to London with Arsenal, and after a loan spell with Brentford, Szczęsny established himself as number one, making 181 appearances for the Gunners, and won two FA Cups and a Community Shield with the North London team. 

From the Premier League he made moved to Italy to join AS Roma, consolidating his reputation as one of the most consistent goalkeepers in European Football. From the capital he then moved to Juventus in 2017 to replace departing legend Gianluigi Buffon.  

He made 252 appearances across seven years in Turin, winning three Serie A titles, three Coppa Italia trophies and three Italian Super Cups.

🎙️ Szczęsny's first words as a Barça player! pic.twitter.com/guTAOucqbW

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 2, 2024

The 34-year-old made a total of more than 500 appearances as a professional, 75 of which came in the Champions League. 

He won 84 caps for his country Poland, featuring in two World Cups and four European Championships. 

Szczesny is likely to make his debut against Alaves in La Liga on Sunday, as Barca suffered a 4-2 defeat by Osasuna last Saturday but remain top of the table with seven wins from eight games.

They bounced back to victory in the Champions League on Tuesday as Hansi Flick's side beat Young Boys 5-0.