WOJCIECH SZCZESNY has revealed the unusual agreement he made with Barcelona boss Hansi Flick while using the sauna.
While the Polish goalkeeper is no longer Flick’s first-choice No1, falling behind Joan Garcia in the pecking order, he has made 21 appearances for the Catalan club since joining in 2024.
In an interview with the Polish version of GQ Magazine, Szczesny revealed he reached a consensus with Flick to continue smoking as long as he remained “professional”.
The former Arsenal custodian said: “Recently the coach and I were sitting in the sauna and I asked him what he thought (about smoking).
“The coach replied that what matters is what I do on the field. ‘As long as you’re super professional, you can smoke even during the title parade’.”
Known for his love of chain smoking, Szczesny broke Barcelona‘s body fat record after joining the La Liga giants in October 2024.
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The 35-year-old signed for Barcelona as an “emergency” goalkeeper after a serious injury to Marc Andre ter Stegen.
He won both the league title and Copa del Rey as the starting goalkeeper.
Szczesny had previously announced his retirement from football after running out his contract with Serie A juggernauts Juventus.
Speaking about the differences between both clubs, he said: “Barcelona gives me the pure joy of being a footballer. Juventus is a daily routine under maximum pressure.
“There, winning is the only thing that matters. And I was able to learn it.”
Before his seven seasons in Turin, Szczesny made more than 100 appearances from 2009 to 2017 at Arsenal.
His time in North London was sandwiched by loan spells at Brentford and Roma.
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