The arrival of Wojciech Szczęsny at FC Barcelona will mark a significant move in the market for the Blaugrana team. Given Marc-André ter Stegen's unfortunate long-term injury, the club has opted to look to free agents for an experienced option to strengthen a position where Iñaki Peña, despite some standout performances, seems to be a constantly debated alternative.
At this point, the Polish goalkeeper, who came out of retirement just over a month after announcing it, solely to answer the call of Barcelona, will don the Blaugrana jersey with a number that he hasn't used frequently. What is it? We'll tell you on FCBN.
In this regard, there won't be much surprise in the number that Wojciech Szczęsny will wear as a Culé. The Warsaw native will have to wear the number 25. This is due to the regulations of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), which suggest that: "Player numbers shall be between 1 and 25, reserving 1 and 13 for goalkeepers. In the event of a potential third goalkeeper with a first-team license, he will be assigned the number 25."
Why must Szczęsny wear the number 25?
As a goalkeeper registered in the first team, Szczęsny is destined to wear that number, as 1 and 13 are assigned to Marc-André ter Stegen and Iñaki Peña, respectively. Therefore, the Polish player's options are limited, and he must choose a number he hasn't used since the 2015/16 season when he played for AS Roma.
Now, the '25' jersey will be back in use at FC Barcelona after two seasons of inactivity. It's worth noting that the last player to wear this shirt was Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 2021/22 season. Before him, other names like Thomas Vermaelen (17/18 - 18/19), Jordi Masip (14/15 - 16/17), Oier Olazábal (13/14), and Alex Song (12/13) also sported it.