Wojciech Szczesny, former Juventus goalkeeper, has recently joined Barcelona. In a recent interview with Catalan sports media outlets “Mundo Deportivo” and “Sport,” he offered an interesting perspective on his transfer to the Catalan club. The Polish goalkeeper attributes his move to Barcelona to “karma,” acknowledging that his decision to leave Juventus and embark on a new adventure was considered but also guided by factors beyond his control.
Retirement and return to the field
Szczesny confessed that he had considered retirement after the season with Juventus. The summer break gave him time to reflect and recover physically, leading him to change his mind. “Representing Juventus was an incredible privilege. It’s an extraordinary club with fantastic fans. When I decided to terminate the contract, I couldn’t motivate myself with a new adventure in a ‘normal’ club. It had to be a challenge greater than Juventus, and there aren’t many. In Turin, they told me I was too expensive because they were going through financial problems, and out of respect for Juve, we found a solution. I could have stayed and been paid for the year, but I believe in personal relationships, and the club respected me greatly.”
The role of Karma
The respect he has always shown towards Juventus, along with strong relationships with teammates and fans, played a fundamental role in this career turn. He describes his move to Barcelona as a sort of “karmic reward” for the way he managed his exit from the Italian club: “I also believe in karma because now I will play the last year of my career at Barça, the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced. The world has repaid me for the respect I had towards Juventus.” This statement is interesting because it highlights how, in an athlete’s career, human relationships and reputation can influence future opportunities.
Leadership and personality
He has great respect for Gigi Buffon, whom he defines as an example of leadership and personality. In his opinion, the former Juventus and national team captain taught a lot not only to him as a goalkeeper but also to all who played alongside him. The importance of being kind and respectful towards others emerges as one of the main values that Szczesny has carried into his new adventure: “The main thing I learned from Gigi Buffon concerns leadership and personality. As they say in Spanish: los cojones. Gigi is an example not only for goalkeepers but for all players in the world on how to be kind; he is very much so with everyone, but at the same time, he is a leader and demands the maximum from his teammates. I don’t know a single person who can speak ill of him, despite him demanding a lot from everyone, even raising his voice.”
The future at Barcelona
Even though he is not yet ready to defend Barcelona’s goal, Tek is using the international break to regain his physical form. Despite his first retirement lasting only two months, the former Juventus goalkeeper has emphasized that he is very demanding, especially with himself. He is confident about integrating into the Catalan team, as his playing style based on building from the back is similar to what was practiced at Juventus under Pirlo’s guidance, thus facilitating the transition: “I know I’m not the typical Barça goalkeeper, but the way they build from the back is very similar to what we did at Juve with Pirlo. It’s not very complicated; I don’t think I’ll have problems.”
