Wojciech Szczesny's renewal for FC Barcelona announced last Monday (July 7) until 2027 has captured the attention of the entire culé fanbase. For this reason, the 35-year-old goalkeeper has already made some statements where he is honest about his arrival and time as a player for the Blaugrana team.

It should be noted that Szczesny's renewal was a major turnaround in the Blaugrana's sporting direction, mainly because the idea was for him to only play one season with the current LaLiga EA Sports champion's shirt.

"At first, I wasn't enthusiastic. Common sense prevailed. I decided that, no matter what happened, I wouldn't regret it. And I would regret it if I didn't accept the challenge," the Warsaw native said in an interview with 'Foot Truck'.

Nine months after his arrival, the goalkeeper, in addition to having the support of the coaching staff, led by German coach Hansi Flick, is also a sensation among culé fans due to his particular personality.

In this sense, the goalkeeper who had retired in August 2024 and returned in October only to sign for Barça; stated that he had to adapt to the team's new way of playing, apart from having to pick up competitive rhythm.

"On the one hand, the dressing room was fun, although I didn't play the first few weeks. When I started playing and picked up rhythm, I had the great feeling of being very good at something, of meeting my own expectations," said the culé '25'.

Szczesny has become a benchmark within the dressing room, despite the fact that a priori he will now be Barcelona's second goalkeeper behind Joan García. Likewise, he will have to maintain the level to not lose the position with Marc-André ter Stegen, who would become the third goalkeeper and for now would not want to leave the Catalan team.

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Szczesny, guarantee between the posts

Barça went for Szczesny after the complete rupture of the patellar tendon in the right knee of Ter Stegen during matchday 6 of LaLiga 2024/25 against Villarreal CF at the Estadio La Cerámica.

The arrival of the Pole generated a lot of noise, especially because he came from retirement and it was speculated that it would take him longer than expected to get in shape. In this context, while Szczesny was preparing and Ter Stegen was recovering, Iñaki Peña took the reins of the culé goal.

Although the debut of the '25' came two months after his arrival at Camp Barça, he admitted not feeling emotion for football at first, in addition to thinking about how difficult it is to play in the system imposed by Flick.

"I saw that the way we were going to play was a challenge in itself. At first, I sat on the bench and thought: 'maybe I prefer not to play with this system'. Honestly, I didn't mind not playing. I was exhausted from football, my career was over. I wasn't hungry for it," he explained.

2024/25 season, unforgettable for Szczesny

Szczesny finally debuted with Barcelona on January 4, 2025, in a Copa del Rey match against U.D. Barbastro, corresponding to the round of 32. This match was won by the Blaugrana team with a score of 4-0.

'Tek' closed out the 2024/25 season with 30 appearances, 36 goals conceded, and 14 clean sheets. These numbers earned the goalkeeper the Barça sports leadership a lot of effort in his renewal. In addition to the La Liga title, he also has to add the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.

'Tek' closed the 2024/25 season with 30 games played, 36 goals conceded and 14 clean sheets. These numbers were enough for the culé sports dome to spare no effort in his renewal.

In the interview, the goalkeeper also pointed out that Barça's way of playing is very different and that this entails training in a different way. He also maintained that playing with the feet is very difficult. 

'Tek' also mentioned the importance of maintaining calm in moments of great emotion. The player made reference to this situation after being questioned about his non-reactions at the time of an important moment such as the different comebacks that Barça starred in during the season; an example of this was the final of the Copa del Rey against Real Madrid, where the Blaugrana ended up coming back 3-2.

"I'm a bit of a psychopath (...). I'm not in everyday life, just in sports. Many athletes are too, that's why I admire them: Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods. It's a psychological profile; we're all very similar," he shared.

Szczesny is impressed with Pedri and is not worried about Lamine Yamal

The '25' did not forget about Pedri's unforgettable season, in which he scored 6 goals and provided 8 assists in 59 games (4,646 minutes). For 'Tek', no one has impressed him as much in his career as the Canary Islander has.

"What Pedri has achieved this season... I have never seen a season like this in a player. Seeing him play, seeing him control the game, both defensively and offensively. It's incredible. He is the player who has impressed me the most in my life. I don't know what his trick is, but he never loses the ball," he said.

On the other hand, the focus during the Catalan team's holidays has been on its great star Lamine Yamal. The right winger has enjoyed his days off like no one else, traveling to different countries to release burdens before returning to preseason on Sunday, July 13. Last June, 'LY' spent a few days in Brazil with his idol Neymar Jr.

That is why, regarding Lamine, Szczesny was totally upfront and commented that he sees nothing wrong with how the one who is expected to be the next '10' of Barça is leading his life.

"You know what I think? Everyone has their own path. And as of today, I don't see any warning signs. I think his attitude towards football, towards life, is what makes him the player he is."

The goalkeeper also asserted that players with the way of being like Lamine's must be allowed to face life and enjoy football because he is someone inspiring.

"I think that with personalities like that, you shouldn't stop them too much. You have to let them enjoy football, because that joy is not only contagious for their teammates, but also inspires millions of people around the world. But I think that is due more to Lamine's environment than to himself."

Thus, Szczesny, once again, demonstrates the character that has characterized him throughout his career since he debuted with Arsenal against West Bromwich Albion during the 2009/10 season.

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