Perhaps the most unlikely hero of Barcelona’s current title charge, Wojciech Szczesny has won over not only manager Hansi Flick, but many of the Blaugrana fanbase with his relaxed personality, humour, and a series of good performances. Despite a shaky start in 2025, the Polish veteran, who came out of retirement to join the club in October, is now the undisputed number one ahead of Inaki Pena.
He was signed as a result of an injury to Barcelona captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who was ruled out of action until at least April if not May. Recent reports have claimed that Barcelona want to keep Szczesny through next season, with the 34-year-old competing alongside the Germany international.
“I don’t think I’m 100% fit yet. My best form is still yet to come,” he told Eleven Sports, as quoted by Sport.
“He’s an exceptional player. It’s incredible to see how he controls the pace of the game, knows when to push forward, when to pull back. He knows when to accelerate and when to slow down. There’s no other player like him right now.”
🗣️Wojciech Szczesny on Pedri (Eleven Sports) pic.twitter.com/dAV070bUm0
— Football España (@footballespana_) March 18, 2025
“It will probably be time soon to make a decision about my future. The most important thing now is to focus all my physical and mental energy on the upcoming matches. We have to play our best.”
Originally it was thought that Szczesny would only come out of retirement until the end of the season, but Szczesny has spoken about how content he is at Barcelona on multiple occasions. Flick will have a larger decision to make on the number one spot when ter Stegen returns to fitness.
“I can’t complain about fate. I have to be very grateful for how it’s treated me. Playing for Barca is very exciting because it’s a very beautiful game, something completely different from what I’ve experienced up until now.”
“I don’t like to make comparisons in life, but I can say that at Juventus, everything revolves around the result. The result is the most important thing. Here at Barca, there’s enormous joy in the type of football being played, and that’s contagious. It’s very surprising to see how many millions of people are watching what’s happening.”
The interview was conducted in the aftermath of Barcelona’s dramatic comeback victory over Atletico Madrid on Sunday night, as the Blaugrana scored two stoppage time goals to win 4-2 at the Metropolitano.
Barcelona have reached an agreement in principle with Jules Koundé for the Frenchman to renew until 2030. There will be a small salary increase. @DBR8
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 17, 2025
“We got this win and we’re happy, but it’s true that I feel a little sorry for the opponent. In this sport, you have to be bold. Football is brutal, and it was clear that Atletico lacked strength at the end.”
Szczesny and Barcelona will be back in action against Atletico on their return from the international break, coming back to the Metropolitano on the second of April for the second leg of their Copa del Rey clash. Tied at 4-4 from the first encounter, if Szczesny can continue his run of never having tasted defeat while playing for Barcelona, then they will also have a Copa del Rey final to look forward to.
