Big Pete: Fabianski on Arsenal competition and European glory with West Ham

Lukasz Fabianski was Petr Cech's guest
Lukasz Fabianski was Petr Cech's guestFlashscore

In previous episodes of the Big Pete series by Flashscore and CANAL+, goalkeeper Petr Cech interviewed John Terry, Robert Pires, and Emile Heskey. Now, we continue with Lukasz Fabianski, who looks back at his early days in the Premier League, the tough competition at Arsenal, and why his first memories of Wembley aren’t the fondest. He also talks about his triumph in a European cup, which he describes as one of the greatest moments of his career.

Fabianski spoke about joining Arsenal and the fierce competition within the team. "There was Manuel Almunia, Jens Lehmann, and then I arrived. Later, Wojciech Szczesny joined as well. It wasn’t an easy situation.

"Honestly, I think I wasn’t ready for that position at the time - not just in terms of football, but especially mentally.

"Even as a youngster, Wojciech stood out - he was confident. Physically, he still had some developing to do, but his talent was obvious right away. From the very first moment, you could tell he would become a top goalkeeper.”

The Polish goalkeeper also mentioned the Conference League final in Prague. “You’d never expect West Ham to win a European trophy. Maybe a cup run, a good showing in the FA Cup, but not a European title.

"The final in Prague was extra special because I had about thirty family members there. After the match, we all celebrated together on the pitch and later at the hotel. An unforgettable moment.”

The full TV version of this episode of the Big Pete documentary series will be available on CANAL+ Sport and the CANAL+ streaming service in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Poland, Myanmar, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Romania, and Hungary, and on SuperSport in South Africa and Switzerland.