First glance at the Mbappé challenge
Wojciech Szczęsny, the Polish goalkeeper, could not hide his amusement when asked directly if he fears French star Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid’s top scorer this season. The question wasn’t playful; it carried a long history of duels that has made Szczęsny Mbappé’s preferred "victim" over the years.
According to Sport, Mbappé is lining up for another test against Szczęsny this Sunday in the Clasico that pits Barcelona against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, one of the season’s most anticipated fixtures.
In this match, Szczęsny will guard Barcelona’s net as the starter due to young goalkeeper Garcia’s injury in the game against Aves, forcing him onto the front line of a storm against a forward who began the season in dazzling fashion with 15 goals across all competitions so far.
Mbappé’s record against Szczęsny and the curse to break
Mbappé holds a daunting record against Szczęsny: eight goals in five games. No other striker has managed this against the Polish keeper in his long career, whether at Arsenal, Roma, Juventus, or Barcelona.
Last season alone, Mbappé scored five against Szczęsny, earning him the reputation among Madrid fans as the “archenemy” and among Barça fans as the “permanent nightmare.”
When asked about facing the French star again, Szczęsny answered with a pragmatic grin in an interview with Elfven Sports: "No… I’m not scared, but I have immense respect. Mbappé is among the best players in the world right now, if not the best." He added that Mbappé is always a threat to any goal, and that his talent against him is evident across their encounters.
The eighth chance… breaking the curse
Despite Mbappé’s personal dominance, Szczęsny retains a respectable head-to-head record, having lost only two of five clashes—all before joining Barcelona. Since his arrival, he has faced Mbappé three times and emerged victorious in all of them, giving him extra confidence ahead of the eagerly awaited Clasico.
Barcelona’s goalkeeper will have a golden opportunity to break the personal curse that has shadowed him against the French forward, while Barça fans are warming to him after a string of solid performances in recent matches.
A comeback from retirement
Behind this dramatic scene lies a human story: the 35-year-old Szczęsny had announced his retirement in the summer of 2024 after leaving Juventus, feeling he had written the ending at the peak of his powers.
Yet fate had another plan. Barça, buried by injuries to their starter, needed a free agent outside the transfer window to register, and Szczęsny agreed to come back and defend the Catalan giants’ goal.
His mother, Alicia Szczęsny, shared the decision with Sport: “Wojciech is an adult and makes his own choices. I never pressured him, but I knew that if Barça hadn’t come, he might have retired for good. You can’t turn down a club like Barcelona.” She added with pride: “Who doesn’t dream of playing for Barça? He told the truth when he chose to end his career, but fate gave him a second chance, and he’s happy and ambitious, dreaming of adding more trophies.”
Heavy memory Clasico
Madrid arrives burdened with painful memories from last season’s clashes against Barça, when the capital club failed to win any of their four meetings and surrendered multiple trophies to their arch-rivals.
The season began in La Liga with a 4-0 triumph for Barça, a display that halted a four-match Madrid winning streak under Xavi’s management and featured a standout display from Lewandowski, Yamal, and Rafinha as they ran riot in the second half.
In the Saudi-hosted Spanish Super Cup final, Madrid briefly led after Mbappé’s early strike, but Barça answered with a masterclass, winning 5-2 with goals from Yamal, Rafinha (two), Lewandowski, and Baldé to claim the cup.
Then came the Copa del Rey final on April 26, 2025, where Madrid thought they had taken a leap forward after overturning a 2-1 deficit, only for Ferran Torres to level late and Jules Conde to seal Barça’s 3-2 triumph in extra time, delivering another blow to their rival.
And in the league’s second leg at Montjuïc, Madrid took an early 2-0 lead before Barça produced another dramatic remontada, finishing 4-3 to cap a season that kept Barça firmly on top. Now, Madrid arrives for the next Clasico with a simple motto: revenge or nothing. With Mbappé dazzling and Szczęsny chasing redemption, a new Clasico story is ready to be written: respect doesn’t ban fear, and fear doesn’t ban glory.
Punchlines
Punchline 1: If nerves were shots, Mbappé would need a bigger magazine and Szczęsny would still parry every one of them.
Punchline 2: In football as in snipers, you miss once and you learn the map; Szczęsny just turned the Bernabéu into a no-fly zone for Mbappé.
