At 39 years old, Łukasz Fabiański could be forgiven for bringing the curtain down on a storied career in professional football that has yielded over 500 appearances for club and country, and begin the winding-down process that precedes the next step, whether that be coaching, scouting or even a break from the sport altogether.
It takes a lot of effort and motivation to extend a professional career into a 21st year - but this is a man who is continually striving to better himself and West Ham United, and truly epitomises the notion that age really is just a number.
Having started his sporting journey in his hometown of Słubice in western Poland over two decades ago, Fabiański accumulated an array of individual and team honours while serving back at home with Legia Warsaw and in the Premier League with Arsenal, before spending four impressive years at Swansea City.
Fabiański, who moved into outright tenth place in West Ham United’s list of all-time Premier League appearance makers with a start against Tottenham Hotspur in April, believes this is the 'most demanding' pre-season he has had as a professional, but his love for football is so innate, that he is relishing the fresh start in east London.
New Head Coach Julen Lopetegui and his coaching staff have laid on intense training sessions since returning from the summer break towards the beginning of July, with the players put through physically-demanding drills in a bid to reach peak fitness levels ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.
The Hammers recently completed a week-long training camp in Kitzbühel, Austria, which concluded with a 2-2 pre-season draw with Hungarian champions Ferencváros on Monday, where Fabiański played the opening 45 minutes between the sticks.
And ahead of Saturday's clash against National League Dagenham & Redbridge closer to home, before a trip to the USA for Stateside Cup match-ups against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace, Fabiański, who is entering his seventh season at London Stadium, says he’s been impressed with the level of detail and effort which has gone into pre-season.
“It’s gone by so quickly if I am honest with you,” Fabiański told whufc.com. “I am just glad to be playing at this level after over 20 years in professional football. I’m happy to still be involved.
“It’s obviously been a long career, but I am very happy to be a part of it, and in a way, I feel good and am looking forward to seeing what the upcoming season brings. There is a lot of excitement around at the moment because we have a new Head Coach and new coaching staff.
“It [pre-season] has been very demanding, and I have to say it is the one of most demanding pre-seasons in my career, but I’m not sure if that is down to my age or just in general! There has been a lot of hard work, but also enjoyable work, as all of the things we are doing are good and there’s an idea behind it all. This is what pre-season is for and hopefully it will help us have a really good season.
“Even now, with a change of Head Coach, there is a different way of training, but I feel as if I’m still up to the standards and level. I love this sport and enjoy being out there, so I’m ready to do my best, give my all and be the consistent player that I have been for the past few years.”
Fabiański is aware of the competition for places in Lopetegui's squad, but all this is nothing new and he is relishing the battle with Alphonse Areola and summer signing Wes Foderingham to be the club’s first choice stopper.
“First of all, he [Wes Foderingham] is a really good person as a teammate," Fabiański confirmed. "At the same time, you can see he has got a lot of experience and a lot of good qualities. He’s very good on the ball, has great shot-stopping ability and is a sharp goalkeeper. He’s been very impressive.
“The competition here is always good and it always pushes you. When you have someone new join the Club or get a new Head Coach, it always brings something extra out of you, as you’re trying to impress the new Head Coach and compete with the goalkeepers. It’s healthy competition, which is good.
“I think it’s a fresh start for everyone. I don’t want to say it is extra motivation, but it is something that triggers inside you and you want to try and do your best to impress. He [Lopetegui] has seen us playing on TV, but doesn’t know what we are like day-by-day, so it is about impressing both on and off the pitch."
Fabiański will likely get a chance to show his experience and qualities in Saturday's pre-season match at Dagenham & Redbridge. Kick-off at Chigwell Construction Stadium is at 3pm and you can buy tickets HERE, or find details of how to stream the game live for £4.99 HERE.
