Wojciech Szczesny has revealed how he’s broken an unwanted record at Barcelona during his short time with the Catalan giants.
The veteran came out of retirement to sign for the club, after an injury to Marc-Andre Stegen, and ended up becoming No. 1 and winning three trophies with Hansi Flick’s side last season.
Szczesny says he has had his challenges at Barcelona, not least ensuring he’s the right weight.
“I like to eat, and although I manage to stay within the weight bracket, I still broke Barcelona’s record for body fat. Excessive. OnLewy once, making fun of me in the Polish national team locker room – I was only in my underwear – said, ‘How could Szczęsny have such a career with that body?’” Coach Michniewicz, himself a goalkeeper, said then, “You see, Lewy, being in goal is like chess. You play with your hands, but really with your head.” Since then, whenever anyone tells me, ‘Wojtek, go to the gym,’ I reply, ‘Listen, it’s chess.’
“I’ve never been a player who trained harder than others, but I’ve managed to maintain the same high level throughout my 18-year career. It may never have been a top ten, but I’ve never dropped below eight either. If I had played to the max, I would have had alternating tens and sixes, but I kept eights the entire time and made a career out of it.”
Szczesny’s form in his debut campaign saw him rewarded with a two-year contract in the summer and he is now playing back-up to Joan Garcia this season.
