Szczesny joins Barcelona a month after retiring

1 month ago 14
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Wojciech Szczesny applauds supporters after a Poland match at Euro 2024Image source, Getty Images

Image caption,

Wojciech Szczesny made his Poland debut in 2009

Alex Brotherton

BBC Sport journalist

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has joined Barcelona until the end of the season, just over a month since he retired.

Former Poland international Szczesny, 34, announced his retirement on 27 August after his contract with Juventus was terminated.

Barca lost first-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen to a serious knee injury in their 5-1 win against Villarreal last month.

Szczesny made 181 appearances for Arsenal after joining as a 16-year-old and also spent time at Brentford, Roma and Juventus.

He joined Juventus in 2017 and made 252 appearances across seven years in Turin, winning three Serie A titles and three Coppas Italia.

The Warsaw-born player won 84 caps for Poland, playing at four European Championships and two World Cups.

When he announced his retirement Szczesny said: "Today, though my body still feels ready for challenges, my heart is not there any more. I feel that right now it is time to give all of my attention to my family."

Szczesny could make his debut against Alaves in La Liga on Sunday.

Barcelona suffered a 4-2 defeat by Osasuna on Saturday but remain top of the table with seven wins from eight games.

On Tuesday Hansi Flick's side beat Young Boys 5-0 in the Champions League.

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