Barcelona have signed Wojciech Szczesny on a free transfer after first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a serious injury.
The Poland international announced his retirement in August, but he changed his mind when the Spanish giants expressed interest.
Formerly with Arsenal, AS Roma, and Juventus, Szczesny has signed a one-year contract with Camp Nou.
Wojciech Szczesny has joined Barcelona as a free agent after making a sensational U-turn on his decision to retire from football.
The former Poland international goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has revealed that a phone call from Robert Lewandowski helped persuade him to come out of retirement and sign for Barcelona.
Szczesny made the surprising decision to hang up his gloves in August when he agreed to terminate his contract with Juventus after seven years at the club.
Despite turning down an offer to return to Arsenal as a backup to David Raya, the Polish goalkeeper has swiftly made his comeback to football after Barcelona’s captain, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, sustained a serious knee injury during their 5-1 victory over Villarreal last month.
This left manager Hansi Flick with only one senior goalkeeper available, Inaki Pena. Consequently, star striker Lewandowski, who is one of Szczesny’s closest friends on the Poland national team wasted no time in lining him up for a free transfer move.
“He was the first person who called me to look into the possibility of this happening because I was retired,” the former Arsenal star told Barca’s media team.
“At first, I was not prepared for new challenges, but I spoke to my family and friends, and they all told me that it would be a mistake not to accept this. For this reason, Robert played a very important role because he was the person who had the idea to convince me.”
Szczesny was present at Montjuic on Tuesday to watch his new team-mates thrash Young Boys 5-0 in the Champions League, with Lewandowski scoring two goals.
A club statement read, “FC Barcelona and Wojciech Szczesny have reached an agreement for the goalkeeper to join the Club until 30 June 2025.”
Having also been contacted by Barca sporting director Deco after Ter Stegen’s injury, the 34-year-old explained, “It is a moment of utmost pride. I was honestly prepared to retire.
“I was happy in that situation but being here these first two days in the city and seeing how people have treated me and how important it is to them has made me feel proud and part of this exciting family.
“Although it is a great institution and a great football club, I have felt the feeling of family. Family is very important to me and now I have extended it a little.”
Szczesny will be used to playing on the biggest stage after representing Arsenal, Juventus, and AS Roma during his professional career.
Szczesny has earned 84 caps for Poland and has secured three Serie A titles and three Coppa Italia trophies with Juventus, in addition to winning two FA Cups during his time at Arsenal.
He was named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2019/20 season and received the Premier League Golden Glove award in 2013/14.
