Łukasz Fabiański has spoken of the happiness he feels about his career at West Ham United - through the good times and the tough times.
The former Poland international, who became the fourth oldest player to feature in the Club’s history at 40 years and 37 days in the 3-1 win at Ipswich Town on Sunday, behind only Billy Bonds, Charlie Bicknell and Teddy Sheringham, enjoyed the sensational highs of winning the coveted Hammer of the Year award in 2019, and the all-important 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League title in Prague.
But he also suffered devastating lows, like losing to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League semi-final in 2022, alongside the mental and physical challenges we faced during the 2024/25 campaign.
After serving the Hammers with distinction for seven seasons, our No1 was handed his 216th and final appearance at Portman Road, where he pulled off a number of sensational saves, and shortly after the full-time whistle, Fabiański reflected on what has been a special period in his life, having soaked up the adulation of the travelling support after the game.
“I think for me it was just actually a massive joy, a pleasure to actually be out there on the pitch today and have a chance to perform one last time in front of our fans,” said Fabiański.
“I was really happy that the manager gave me that opportunity today, and we've come away with a win, so I'm really pleased with the performance, with the atmosphere and with the reception that we got at the end. It was a beautiful day.
“It's incredible to be recognised like that by our fans, by our supporters. It means a lot to me. I always tried to be there even in the difficult moments, and sometimes that means giving answers to our supporters as well because they always deserve a bit of explanation in a way.
“Like I said in the recent [farewell] message, I was hoping that I did something right in my time over here [throughout the last seven seasons] and I think the reception they gave me today from the very first minute was unbelievable, so I think it proves that I did okay.”
Home is a word that comes up frequently when you speak with Fabiański.
London has left him feeling settled both on and off the field, and he says West Ham is now instilled in the Fabiański family, with his son Jan one of the Club’s biggest fans.
Meanwhile, in a bizarre twist of fate, the shot-stopper made his Hammers debut against Ipswich Town at Portman Road in a pre-season friendly seven years ago. Fabiański indeed reckons his latest moment against the Tractor Boys was written in the stars, and he hopes the Irons will be back to their scintillating best very soon.
He added: “It's just been a beautiful journey. It's actually incredible for me, not only from a footballing point of view but from a family point of view because I think, aside from football, for us as a family, we found our place as well, being around this place, this part of London which is surrounded by West Ham supporters.
“So we as a family feel very, very settled, so I can call it home. If you ask my son, he's a proper West Ham fan. He saw friends from school; most of them are West Ham fans. Some of them even became West Ham fans because of me or even him.
“We have a nice group of friends that we have shared beautiful times with, and we hope to continue to do that living in this part of London.
“It’s been an amazing journey on and off the pitch for us, and it was even more special as my first ever game for West Ham was actually at this stadium, a friendly game against Ipswich seven years ago, and it’s funny how life actually writes the script that your first and the final game are actually in the same stadium, playing against the same team. I'm going to say it was a happy ending.
“I think all of us, the people that maybe have been at the Club for a longer period of time and especially the supporters, know how demanding this Club is, how fans are passionate about what's happening with the team, with the Club. So I think, for me personally, I always tried to do it in the right way.
“Thank you very much for this beautiful journey, and I wish you all the very best for the future. I hope after this tricky season, the Club will come back stronger in the next season and will go in the right direction.”
