Ex-Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny admits he’s ‘lost the battle’ with smoking

Wojciech Szczesny has opened up about his smoking habit and urged youngsters not to start, with the former Arsenal and Juventus goalkeeper branding it “very negative”

Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny has issued a warning about the dangers of smoking, admitting he has “lost the fight” with his “very negative” habit. Szczesny came out of retirement to sign for Barcelona in October after Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a season-ending injury.

The 35-year-old has become a fan favourite since then and has been given the nickname ‘Szczesny fumador’ by supporters, which translates to ‘smoker Szczesny’. However, the former Arsenal and Juventus goalkeeper has now warned youngsters not to start smoking.

“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,” Szczesny 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.”

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Szczesny has smoked throughout his career and was once fined and dropped by Arsene Wenger after he was caught smoking in the dressing room after Arsenal were beaten 2-0 by Southampton in 2015.

Opening up about the incident in 2020, Szczesny told the Arsenal Nation podcast : “Back at that time I was smoking regularly and the boss knew it very well. He just didn’t want anybody smoking in the dressing rooms and I knew that also.

“Because of the emotion of the game, I had a cigarette after the game when the team was still in. I went in the corner of the showers, so it was at the other end of the dressing room and nobody could see me, and I lit one up.

“Somebody saw me, it wasn’t even the boss himself, and just reported it back to the boss. I saw him a couple of days later, he asked me if that was true and I said, ‘Yes’. He fined me and that was the end of it.

“He then said, ‘Look, you’re going to be out of the team for a little bit’ but there was no big bust-ups or big confrontations. I was very professional about it.

“I was fully expecting to be back in the team a few weeks later but we had a good run of form and David Ospina, who came in goal, played really well for those few games. He stayed in.

“That meant I was waiting and trying to win my place back in the team, or trying to convince him that I was still the best goalkeeper at the club by going out on loan. That sounds strange but sometimes it’s the best way of doing it.”

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