Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny, who broke his retirement last October after a call from Barcelona, has now extended his contract with the club.
Szczęsny, 35, was supposed to have settled into retirement by now. But the dramatic turn his life and career took last October has set him on a new path, and he will continue playing for at least two more years after renewing his deal with Barcelona.
Recent reports had already pointed to this being inevitable, and on Monday Barcelona officially confirmed the contract extension.
It was Barcelona’s call that brought Szczęsny out of retirement for a few months last October. Now he will remain with the Catalan club until 2027.
When first-choice goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen suffered a season-ending injury, Barcelona urgently needed cover. Szczęsny, who was retired at the time, answered the call and returned for the remainder of the season.
Back in May, Szczęsny had revealed that Barcelona had offered him a new contract. He said then that he would make a final decision after discussing it with his wife.
With Szczęsny’s contract renewal, Barcelona now has four goalkeepers on their books.
After ter Stegen’s injury, Iñaki Peña took over responsibilities, but once Szczęsny rejoined, the Polish keeper quickly gained the coach’s trust. He became the main goalkeeper and featured in 30 matches this season, playing a key role in Barcelona’s La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup victories.
Now Szczęsny and Peña are still there, ter Stegen is fit again, and Barcelona recently signed 24-year-old Joan García from Espanyol for around €2.5 million. García is considered one of Spain’s top young goalkeepers.
This means one of the goalkeepers may have to leave the club. According to ESPN, Peña, who rose through the academy ranks, has already begun searching for a new club. Meanwhile, reports have repeatedly suggested Barcelona would be willing to let ter Stegen go for the right price. However, ter Stegen himself reportedly wants to stay at Barcelona at any cost.
Szczęsny began his professional career at Arsenal in 2009, staying there until 2017, with loan spells at Brentford and Roma. In 2017, he moved to Juventus. He left Juventus by mutual agreement in mid-August last year and announced his retirement from professional football at the end of that month.
But before his retirement could properly settle in, the call from Barcelona arrived. Winning the trust of coach Hans Flick and the fans both on and off the pitch, the Polish goalkeeper has firmly won his place in the club’s heart.
