Szczesny talks about coming back from retirement – ’I can’t say no to Barcelona’
After captain Marc-Andre ter Szczesny suffered a season-ending knee injury, FC Barcelona acted quickly and brought in Wojciech Szczesny as an emergency substitute.
The 34-year-old Polish star had announced his retirement a few months ago, but as soon as Barça contacted him, the goalkeeper decided to make a U-turn and return to professional football.
In an exclusive chat with SPORT, Szczesny, who is currently under contract with Barça until the end of the season, explained what led him to want to retire and what prompted him to change his mind after receiving Barcelona’s call.
Szczesny had no hesitation in not missing football during the two months he retired. But the former Arsenal man made it clear there was a train he couldn’t say no to.
“If you had told me a month ago that I would play for Barça, I would have laughed. I would have laughed even the day before Marc-Andre’s injury. At that moment, against any challenge… “I couldn’t imagine saying yes,” he said.
“But when the phone rings and it becomes reality, when it’s right there, it’s up to you, your decision… You can think and imagine and plan… but it’s not there. Yes, and you ask yourself: “Can I say no to Barça?” And the answer is that you can’t say no. ”
Szczesny is eager to go to Barcelona. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Szczesny went on to add that he believes he is still at the level to make a valuable contribution to the Blaugrana.
“If you say ‘no’ to Barça, it means you don’t have the courage or you don’t have enough courage for a challenge like this. You don’t have that courage. I still have that passion. “That’s why I took the job because I see this in myself and I think I’m at a level where I can help,” he said.
Szczesny stressed that after playing for Europe’s top clubs, he would not have hung up his gloves for any other club. And just a few months after leaving Juventus like a gentleman, he was presented with a golden opportunity.
“I was satisfied with my retirement, but life is not enough to be satisfied. It is good and comfortable, but when you feel challenged, you feel something extraordinary, something that people… Motivation wins when you feel like pushing yourself to do something memorable,” he said.
Szczesny is training hard at the Ciutat Esportiva and has already registered for La Liga, so the Polish player could make his Barcelona debut against Sevilla.
