Barcelona have completed the signing of former Arsenal and Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny on a short-term contract.
The 34-year-old goalkeeper has been signed on a free transfer until the end of this season to fill the void left by Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who injured his right knee against Villarreal last month.
Inaki Peña, 25, replaced the German for the time being, but the Catalan club wanted an experienced option to compete with the Masia-born player.
Peña started in the 1-0 victory over Getafe, the 4-2 defeat to Osasuna in La Liga and yesterday’s 5-0 Champions League victory over Young Boys.
Szczesny is returning to professional football after announcing his retirement in August. The Polish international was released by Juventus at the end of last season, after winning eight major trophies in 252 games for the Torino club.
Szczęsny is cooler! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/B1S3RVBd2L
—FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 2, 2024
“I gave the game 18 years of my life, every day, without excuses”wrote Szczesny in a social media post earlier this year, confirming his departure.
“Today, although my body still feels prepared for challenges, my heart is no longer there. I feel like now is the time to give my full attention to my family.”.
Szczesny joined Arsenal aged 16 in 2006 and played 181 games for the north London side, winning two FA Cups. During his career he also represented Roma.
At international level, the Warsaw-born goalkeeper made 84 appearances for Poland, appearing in two World Cups and four European Championships, including the most recent tournament in Germany earlier this year.
