New Delhi: Polish goalkeeper Wojciech Szczęsny has confirmed his retirement from the beautiful game, just days after Juventus decided to terminate his contract with the club, which was due to expire at the end of the current season in 2025. The decision to terminate the contract was taken mutually after the club had made it clear to the keeper that he was not a part of the club’s plans under new manager Thiago Motta.
Szczęsny explained his decision to announce his retirement by saying “Today, though my body still feels ready for challenges, my heart is not there anymore. I feel that right now it is time to give all of my attention to my family – my amazing wife Marina and our two beautiful children Liam and Noelia. Therefore I have decided to retire from professional football.
The Polish International left his homeland back in 2006, leaving the youth team of Polish club Legia Warsaw to join English giants Arsenal, where he first broke onto the footballing scene. His time with Arsenal was a bit hit-and-miss as even though he became the club’s number-one goalkeeper eventually, he didn’t seem very comfortable between the sticks at the club.
It was his two-year loan spell at AS Roma that showcased his skills on a large scale and in his two years in the Italian capital, he made 81 appearances for the club, keeping 23 clean sheets and only conceding 95 goals during his time with The Giallorossi. His great form for Roma is what drew other suitors to the Polish keeper and then-Serie A champions Juventus made a move to sign him as an understudy and eventual replacement for legendary Italian goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon.
34-year-old Wojciech Szczęsny has retired from football:
Serie A 🏆🏆🏆
Coppa Italia 🏆🏆🏆
FA Cup 🏆🏆
Italian Super Cup 🏆🏆
Community Shield 🏆
An underrated stopper 🧤 pic.twitter.com/eBIC7NvuPY
— B/R Football (@brfootball) August 27, 2024
His seven-year stay with the Old Lady has been his most successful stint at any club and he retires from the sport on top form. The 34-year-old went on to make 252 appearances for the Bianconeri, keeping 103 clean sheets for them during this while. Even in the 2023/24 season, which proved to be his last in professional football, he played 35 games in Serie A for Juve, keeping 15 clean sheets in the season and conceding a measly 30 goals throughout the Serie A campaign.
Following the arrival of Thiago Motta from Bologna, the club released a list of several players who were not considered to be a part of the club’s plans. Joining Szczęsny on that list were, Federico Chiesa, Filip Kostic, Weston McKennie, Arkadiusz Milik, Arthur Melo, Mattia De Sciglio, and Daniele Rugani. The club had already brought in 27-year-old goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio from AC Monza, for whom he kept 14 clean sheets last term.
There was a lot of speculation over the future of Szczęsny all summer, with the 34-year-old being linked with a move to AC Monza, to replace the man who replaced him at Juventus. He also had offers from the Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr where he could earn big bucks and play with former Juventus teammate Cristiano Ronaldo once again but decided against moving to the country in order to spend more time with his family.
Apart from his glorious club career where he made a total of 438 appearances and kept 163 clean sheets, he also represented his national team 84 times, becoming the country’s most-capped goalkeeper ever.
The 34-year-old played for Italian giants Juventus in the previous season but his contract at the club was terminated in the summer, following the arrival of new manager Thiago Motta. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
