Wojciech Szczesny’s Candid Confession: A Goalkeeper’s Battle with Smoking
In a world where athletes are often seen as paragons of health and discipline, Wojciech Szczesny, the Barcelona goalkeeper, has taken a refreshingly honest approach to his personal struggles. Speaking to ESPN, Szczesny, 35, opened up about his ongoing battle with smoking, a habit he admits he has lost the fight against. His message is clear: don’t follow in his footsteps.
Szczesny has quickly become a fan favorite at Barça since coming out of retirement to join the club in October. His performance has been nothing short of impressive, with the team tasting defeat just once in his 25 appearances, a loss that came away at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League last week. Despite his success on the field, fans have taken to chanting “Szczesny fumador” [smoker Szczesny] during games, a nod to his openness about his smoking habit.
While Szczesny is candid about his smoking, he is eager to emphasize that it is a negative habit that should not be emulated. “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.”
He continued, “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.”
In the modern game, it is unusual for footballers to speak so candidly about smoking or drinking. Szczesny explained his decision to be open about the taboo topic, saying, “Because I’m not a politician. 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.”
He added, “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.”
Despite his personal struggles, Szczesny has been a key player for Barcelona, keeping 13 clean sheets since joining the team. His efforts have helped keep Hansi Flick’s side alive in all three competitions as they head into the final stretch of the season. Barcelona currently leads LaLiga by four points from Real Madrid, with the two Clásico rivals set to contest the Copa del Rey final in Seville on Saturday. Barça will then meet Inter Milan in the Champions League semifinals.
Szczesny remains modest about his role in a campaign that has outperformed all preseason expectations, even joking about how easy his teammates have made it for him at times. “I think a big part of it is coincidence,” he said of his part in Barça losing just once in 27 games in 2025. “I mean, my input into us not losing a single game has been rather minimal.”
He continued, “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.”
- Wojciech Szczesny has become a fan favorite at Barcelona.
- He has kept 13 clean sheets since joining the team.
- Barcelona leads LaLiga by four points from Real Madrid.
- Szczesny urges young fans not to follow his smoking habit.
Originally Written by: Sam Marsden,Moises Llorens
