Ter-Stegen replacement

FC Barcelona brings this goalkeeper out of retirement

Barca coach Hansi Flick has to improvise.(Bild: APA/AFP/LLUIS GENE)

Following the serious injury to DFB keeper Marc-André ter Stegen, FC Barcelona have had to improvise and have brought 34-year-old Wojciech Szczęsny out of retirement. An agreement has already been reached and the medical check is just a formality.

According to media reports, the Pole will receive a one-year contract and is primarily intended to fill the gap in the goalkeeper position after ter Stegen will be out for months due to a torn patella tendon.

Appealing task
"I understand the difficult situation that has arisen for them following Marc-André ter Stegen's injury and I think it would be disrespectful of me not to consider this option," Szczęsny was quoted as saying by the Catalan newspaper Sport on Wednesday. He told the paper in Marbella, where he had spent the past few weeks, and revealed how excited he was about the offer from Barça, the paper wrote. FC Barcelona is one of the biggest clubs in the world, said Szczęsny.

Szczęsny had terminated his contract with Italian record champions Juventus a few weeks ago after 252 competitive matches and announced the end of his career. The reasons he gave for his decision were that his body still felt ready for challenges, "but my heart is no longer in it". He now wants to devote all his attention to his family. With 84 appearances, Szczęsny is the record goalkeeper for the Polish national team.