Several top players across Europe were once a part of Arsenal, and some of them even went on to play for Barcelona.
The Gunners are one of the biggest clubs in the world themselves, and the Emirates Stadium has been home to some incredible footballers over the years.
Not everyone makes it to the first team, and even those who do could end up leaving the club for one reason or another.
One such player was Wojciech Szczesny.
Ferran Torres is shocked after hearing Wojciech Szczesny started his senior career at Arsenal
Arsenal signed Szczesny from Legia Warsaw’s youth academy in January 2006.
The Pole was just 15 years old at the time, and he hadn’t played a single minute of first-team football. Yet, Arsene Wenger saw something in him that he liked.
Szczesny developed in Arsenal’s academy and even spent a loan spell at Brentford. Then, he broke into the senior side and went on to play 181 games for the Gunners.
The goalkeeper was a fan favourite at the Emirates and still is. But following a disciplinary issue, Wenger decided to loan him to AS Roma for two seasons before selling him to Juventus in 2017.
Arsenal fans are all aware of Szczesny’s career path, but Barcelona star Ferran Torres seemed surprised when he heard that the 35-year-old’s senior career actually began at the Emirates.
In a video on Barcelona’s social channels, Szczesny and Torres were asked to guess players based on the clubs they played for.
When the former Arsenal shot-stopper’s career path was displayed on the screen, the Spaniard was confused and couldn’t figure out who it was.
After Szczesny admitted that it was him, a shocked Torres replied: “Ah, you started at Arsenal?”
Wojciech Szczesny had a chance to rejoin Arsenal
Szczesny achieved great things at Juventus after Arsenal sold him.
The former Poland international won eight trophies there, including three Serie A titles, and was among the best goalkeepers in the world.
In the summer of 2024, Szczesny was released by Juve, and the goalkeeper revealed that he held talks to rejoin Arsenal.
He told Meczyki: “I was open to talks with Arsenal because of the respect and sentiment for the club. But when I started talking, I knew it wasn’t for me.
“The Arsenal option came up before the Juventus contract was terminated. I said: “OK, we can talk”. But two days later, I said it didn’t make much sense.”
Szczesny then announced his retirement from football, but he came out of it to join Barcelona. At the age of 35, he helped them win the Spanish league title last season.
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