OFFICIAL! FC Barcelona announces the signing of Wojciech Szczęsny

Good news for FC Barcelona, a team that, through its various informative channels, has officially announced the arrival of the outstanding 34-year-old Polish goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczęsny. This addition comes in response to the unfortunate ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee suffered by Marc-André ter Stegen on September 22 during the match between Villarreal CF and the Blaugrana team, corresponding to matchday six of LaLiga EA Sports 2024/25. According to the usual prognosis in such cases, his recovery is expected to take between seven and eight months.

The signing of Szczęsny, as per the statement released by FC Barcelona this Wednesday, has bound both parties through a contract that will extend until June 30, 2025. Furthermore, this agreement was formalized at the club's offices in the presence of the institution's president, Joan Laporta.

¡Szczęsny ya es culer! 💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/EwnME3YxCi

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) October 2, 2024

It is worth noting that, according to various sources, Szczęsny had successfully passed medical tests last Monday, September 30. His incorporation was practically confirmed on Tuesday when he was seen in the stands during the Barça-Young Boys match, interacting with several players from the team who didn't participate in the game against the Swiss team.

Barcelona brings Szczęsny out of retirement

With this acquisition, FC Barcelona adds a high-level goalkeeper to its squad. Szczęsny, enticed by the attractive proposal from the Blaugrana team, decided to come out of retirement, which had begun on August 27, 2024, despite still having a year left on his contract with Juventus (until 2025). His unexpected 'retirement' was justified as follows: "Although my body still feels ready for challenges, my heart isn't in it anymore. I feel that now is the time to give all my attention to my family, my incredible wife Marina, and our two beautiful children Liam and Noelia."

However, in response to the request from the Barcelona entity, which could only sign free agents to strengthen the team due to the German goalkeeper's injury, Szczęsny considered the option of joining the Culés, arguing that it would be "disrespectful" not to evaluate this alternative. Therefore, he decided to embark on his fourth professional adventure after stints at Arsenal, Brentford, AS Roma, and Juventus.

The impressive career statistics of Szczęsny

Szczęsny joins FC Barcelona with a career that includes 548 matches played at the club level, where he has conceded a total of 559 goals (an average of 1.02 goals per game) and kept a clean sheet on 210 occasions. Additionally, the goalkeeper has extensive experience with the Polish national team, where he made his debut on November 18, 2009, and played 84 matches until his retirement, conceding 83 goals (an average of 1.01 goals per game) and keeping a clean sheet in 34 games.

Now, with Szczęsny's confirmation as a Barcelona player, the role he will play under the management of Hansi Flick as the Culés' goalkeeper is being considered. At least in these initial matchdays, he is not expected to be an immediate starter as the Polish goalkeeper needs to undergo a physical adaptation process and get up to the pace of the competition.

It's worth remembering that his last professional match took place on June 21. Szczęsny needs to regain his peak physical condition, proving that he can be a top-level goalkeeper, which will be a valuable addition to the Blaugrana goal. He will also compete for the starting position with the emerging talent Iñaki Peña.