When FC Barcelona faced the severe injury of their priority number 1 keeper, Ter Stegen, there was much uncertainty as to who would lead the role in the season ahead. Although the club possessed the likes of prodigy keepers Inaki Pena and Ander Astralaga, they had very little senior experience, so the club decided to bring in veteran keeper Wojciech Szczesny as a replacement.
FC Barcelona's replacement signing acknowledges he wouldn't have agreed to any other club
While the Blaugrana club did have other options, Keylor Navas and Loris Karius available, the club, putting trust in Szczesny, went for him. And, so far, the decision seems to have turned out pretty well. The former Juve keeper, having played football at the top level recently, has been impressing Barca coaches and might very well get his club debut soon after the international break.
However, while all has gone better than expected, Szczesny recently revealed that he didn't even imagine playing for Barca after having turned 34. Having taken retirement from professional football, leaving Juventus on a good note, the player would have been happy with his retirement. Upon being asked if he ever thought he would be a Barcelona keeper after retirement, Szczesny mentioned,
""If a month ago you had told me I’d be playing for Barça, I would have laughed non-stop!""Wojciech Szczesny
As reports suggest, the player wasn't completely convinced initially, whether he was ready for such a big challenge post-retirement. However, having done the unthinkable in his career so far, benching prime Alisson at Roma and making Gianluigi Buffon his substitute, Szczesny accepted the challenge. In fact, the 34-year-old mentioned that he wouldn't have come out of retirement for any other club after playing at Roma, Arsenal, and Juventus.
But he acknowledged that saying no to FC Barcelona would have been a disgrace, mentioning,
""When the phone rings and it becomes reality, you ask yourself, ‘Can I say no to Barça?’ And the answer is you can’t.""Wojciech Szczesny
As reports suggest, Wojciech Szczesny would be available for squad selection after the international break. Barca fans would hope that the player, during his one-year tenure, plays a crucial role in the club's season ahead, potentially lifting his first UCL Trophy this campaign.