Pena’s big confession about his relationship with Szczęsny

After the serious injury of Marc-André ter Stegen, FC Barcelona decided to bring Wojciech Szczęsny out of retirement. If we could think that the Pole would settle in fairly quickly in the Catalan cages, for the moment it is Iñaki Peña who retains the confidence of Hansi Flick. Author of a great performance in the Clasico, the Barcelona goalkeeper revealed to be happier than ever in the columns of Mundo Deportivo: “I am happy, very happy and above all a little more relaxed. Happy personally and collectively. The joy I saw in the locker room after the match cannot be made up for by any save. The joy of the coach, the staff, the group, the workers… Winning like this at the Bernabéu was an immense source of pride. The coach was very happy for me, he told me that he trusted me, that he knew what I could give and that he never doubted my level. I saw him happy, yes.“

He then spoke of this confidence: “From the outside I don’t know, from the inside I always felt it. From the technicians, the goalkeeper coaches, the teammates… You are not so bad when they score four against you nor so good when they do not score goals against you, I am very clear on that. Plus, I know who should tell me something, they are the ones who give you confidence in the face of challenges” he explained before revealing the secrets of his current success: “Above all, be patient. Work, never stop training and surpass myself. If I knew when the opportunity would present itself, I would probably approach it differently. Since you don’t know, you always have to be prepared and I felt like I was. The coach told me to stay calm, to only worry about what he and the goalkeeping coach asked of me and nothing else. He told me he trusted me, but he never told me I was going to be number one because he didn’t have to say it. In the end it is the performance that determines if you play and the truth is that I am very grateful for your trust.”

Peña encesense Szczęsny!

Unsurprisingly, the Spaniard was asked about the arrival of Wojciech Szczęsny: “I’ve never had this problem. With matches every three days, I didn’t have much time to think about these things. It is obvious that the club must protect itself, especially in positions like goalkeepers. With one goalkeeper from the first team and two goalkeepers from the reserve team, it is not viable in the long term. The club decided to sign a goalkeeper and they told me and I’m grateful to them for telling me, that says a lot” he explained before praising the Pole: “As a person he is spectacular, as can be seen from the outside. I only knew him as a goalkeeper and the way he played for some of the best teams in Europe. The first day he started talking to me and told me that he didn’t come to compete with me, that the only competition I had was with myself and that shocked me . In a goalie position so competitive that only one plays, he showed a respect he perhaps didn’t deserve. He is 34 years old and he helps a lot.”

Finally, he concluded by mentioning a possible contract extension, his current lease ending in 2026: “Yes, but now I have no worries. In the end, performance marks renewals, what the club will decide about you. So I have to stay the same, continue to play 100% and put in a good performance. This is what I intend. Let’s let Barça do what they have to do when they think they have to do it. The club, for the moment, has not contacted me.”

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