Wojciech Szczesny has a unique way of remembering how many times Lionel Messi has scored on him – he keeps the bottles of beer sent by the soccer legend as mementos.

The former Juventus and Arsenal goalkeeper, who recently joined Barcelona as emergency cover for the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen, shared his encounters with Messi upon his arrival. He recalled the goals he failed to save from the Argentine superstar, particularly three memorable ones, which are now commemorated by beers gifted to him.

After Messi’s historic 644th goal for Barcelona in 2020, setting the record for most goals with one club, Messi partnered with Budweiser to distribute 644 bottles of beer to the 160 keepers he’d scored against, with each bottle representing a goal.

“I think Leo only scored three (against me),” Szczesny revealed to Mundo Deportivo after signing with Barcelona. “I remember because he only sent me three beers! There are probably other players who have scored more against me, but he was the only one I was actually afraid to play against. Because he was that good.”

Throughout their careers, Messi and Szczesny have clashed seven times, with two of those goals occurring during Szczesny’s stint at Roma in a 2015 Champions League match at Camp Nou.

In 2020, Messi and his Barcelona team delivered a stunning performance against Szczesny’s Juventus in Turin, marking the third significant encounter between the two. Szczesny recently reminisced about his most memorable save, which was stopping a penalty from Messi during the Qatar World Cup.

“The most satisfying save was Messi’s penalty in the Qatar World Cup,” Szczesny added. “But it wasn’t the best save in my career – the stadium and the rival made that moment very special for me.”

Wojciech Szczesny has joined Barcelona

Wojciech Szczesny has joined Barcelona ( 

Image:

Getty Images)

During their 2022 World Cup match, where Argentina triumphed 2-0, Szczesny and Messi had a humorous exchange. After a collision in the box with Messi, the former Arsenal goalkeeper humorously wagered with the future world champion that the referee wouldn’t award a penalty.

“No, I didn’t (think the penalty would be given),” Szczesny confessed to Norwegian broadcaster TV 2 Sport following the November 2022 group stage game. “We spoke before the penalty and I told him I can bet him €100 that he wasn’t going to give it. So I’ve lost a bet against Messi. I don’t know if that’s allowed at the World Cup.

“I’m probably going to be banned for it. I don’t care right now. I’m not going to pay him either,” Szczesny then joked. “He doesn’t care about €100, come on!”