Juventus Turin bid an emotional farewell to Wojciech Szczęsny, who served as the club’s goalkeeper for seven years. The farewell ceremony took place before Juventus’ goalless draw against Napoli in a Serie A match.
Szczęsny, 34, was welcomed onto the field after the warm-up, with young goalkeepers from the Juventus academy forming a guard of honor for him. The Polish goalkeeper received a commemorative jersey with the number 252, symbolizing the total number of appearances he made for the Turin team.
In an emotional address to the cheering fans, Szczęsny expressed his gratitude: “Thank you all for seven years of love. You made me feel loved and respected. You made me feel at home. You are my family.”
Szczęsny joined Juventus in July 2017, initially serving as the backup to legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. However, starting in the following season, Szczęsny took over as the team’s first-choice goalkeeper, winning the Serie A title three times and keeping 103 clean sheets throughout his Juventus career.
Bentornato Tek 🤍🖤 pic.twitter.com/jX3i5uRHTj
— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) September 21, 2024
Before the current season, Juventus opted for a younger goalkeeper, 27-year-old Michele Di Gregorio. Szczęsny mutually agreed to terminate his contract and shortly thereafter announced his retirement from professional football. Di Gregorio has performed well so far, keeping another clean sheet in Saturday’s match, with Juventus yet to concede a goal this season.
Despite their solid defense, Juventus has struggled offensively, recording their third consecutive goalless draw. They currently sit in fourth place in the Serie A standings. Arkadiusz Milik, another Polish player on Juventus’ roster, is sidelined due to a knee injury.