Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny admitted he has lost his battle with smoking and urged others not to follow his example.
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Szczesny urges fans not to follow his smoking habits
“Szczęsny, 35, has become a fan favorite at Barcelona since coming out of retirement to join the club in October.
However, fans often chant “Szczęsny fumador” [smoker Szczęsny] during games, a reference to his honesty about smoking.
While he is open about the topic, he is aware that it is a harmful habit that should not be copied.
“There are some parts of the game where I believe I can be a perfect example for young people or, in fact, for my teammates,” he told ESPN.
“And there are some things in my career that you better not follow. In a few aspects, I fail at [being an example], but I try to be the best version of myself, and I try to give the correct example to my teammates, to young kids who watch us.
“But mentioning the subject of smoking, please do not follow me and don’t do it. I’ve lost the fight. When I was very young, I created a habit that is very negative for me, and I know it is. I just lose against it. So for anybody watching: Don’t do what I did.”
The Poland international understands that it’s uncommon for modern footballers to speak so candidly about smoking or drinking.
“Because I’m not a politician,” Szczesny said when asked about his honesty about his smoking habits.
“Maybe that’s why. I’m just a goalkeeper. I have to catch a ball and kick it. It’s much, much easier to keep up with your previous interviews if you’re just honest and you never lie and you’re just open.”
“You ask me a question, I answer the question as honestly as I can. You know, there are things I would rather not talk about. The subject that we mentioned, I would rather not talk about it.”
“But if somebody asks me, yeah [I smoke]. But I would rather not have the question asked because I don’t want to be a bad example.”
Great season with Barca
“Since signing with Barcelona, Szczęsny has tasted defeat only once in his 25 appearances, a loss away to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last week. T
he 34-year-old has kept 13 clean sheets, playing a key role in keeping Hansi Flick’s side alive in all three competitions as they approach the final stretch of the season.
They lead La Liga by four points over Real Madrid, with the two clasico rivals set to clash in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday.
Barca will then face Inter Milan in the Champions League semifinals.
“I think a big part of it is coincidence,” he said. “I mean, my input into us not losing a single game has been rather minimal.”
“The team is playing very good football, scoring a lot of goals. You try not to mess it up for them. That’s about it. I’ve just been lucky to step into the goal at the moment where the team started winning games.”
“Also how we defend. It makes my job much easier because when they want to defend and they block every shot, win every tackle, every header, so I can just, for the lack of a better phrase, go and smoke a cigarette.”
