The last chapter of Wojciech Szczesny’s career is unexpected and a whole lot of fun. After coming out of retirement to join Barcelona at the end of 2024, the Polish shot-stopper is having the time of his life before he retires for good at the end of this season.
Szczesny spoke to The Athletic during Barça’s training camp in England and explained how playing for the Blaugrana so late in his career reignited his love for the game.
“When I stopped, I didn’t want to play football anymore. I didn’t imagine
anything happening after 2024. Now I’m living one of the best times of my career, and I’m loving every minute of it.
“I kind of fell out of love with football. I didn’t enjoy playing anymore. I didn’t enjoy waking up for training. I was already a retired footballer, and now I get to live such a beautiful moment. I’m kind of one of the fans on the pitch.
“I made a conscious decision when I came back to football. I said to myself: ‘If I make this decision, I will enjoy it at 100 per cent’.
“I do treat it as a bonus to my career. I’m going to make the most of it — I’m gonna enjoy it the way that I like to enjoy it, and it seems authentic to people. I very much feel the love back as much as I fell in love with this place and with this football club.
Szczesny also spoke about his role as a mentor for number one goalkeeper Joan Garcia, and Tek wants to make sure he’s there only to help — and not threaten Joan’s place in the team.
“I wanted to make sure that [Joan Garcia] doesn’t feel challenged from my side. My ambition is still there, and I still believe I can give a lot of good things to the team on the pitch, but I felt that it was important that in his first season at the top level he feels all the support in the world and not a challenge from my side. (I also want) to help him grow and give him a little advice in training.
“When I see something that he can improve, it feels a little bit uncomfortable because he’s a better goalkeeper than me. But I see that he wants to learn; he wants to get new information. Sometimes there are things that maybe I can tell him, although I can’t even do them anymore (laughs) because I’m not at his level, but I feel that my knowledge of the game is big and I can still help him. He’s willing to learn.”
What a guy.
