From Verratti to Platini: Smoking footballers XI – in picture -
The picture of Marco Verratti smoking a cigarette has been shown everywhere on social media of late, but the Italian midfielder is obviously not the only footballer who loves having a smoke once in a while.
As our pundit Angelo Taglieri points out, there are many world-class stars that are known to be smokers. From Barcelona’s Neymar and Messi to Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil and Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney. Mario Balotelli, Gigi Buffon, Dimitar Berbatov and former footballers Vialli, Bilic, Vieri, Di Livio, Seedorf, Socrates, Maradona and Rijkard are also ciragerette lovers (Berbatov fancies the cigar actually).
Here’s our smoking footballers XI which, however, does not include the stars listed above.
GOALKEEPER: Wojciech Szczesny (pic credit Woolwish)
DEFENDERS: Fabio Coentrao
Gerard Pique
Lorenzo Tonelli
Ashley Cole (Foto Interfans)
MIDFIELDERS: Marco Verratti
Jack Wilshere
Radja Nainggolan
ATTACKING MIDFIELDER: Michelle Platini
STRIKERS: Gigi Riva
Dario Hubner
Manager: Zdenek Zeman, Maurizio Sarri
Director of sport: Walter Sabatini
Popular quotes
Wilmots on Nainggolan: ‘If I had prohibited him from smoking five or six cigarettes a day, he’d have destroyed his hotel room. I always had to book a room with a balcony for him.”
Michelle Platini to Gianni Agnelli: “Avvocato, don’t you worry if I smoke, If Bonini would start instead, that would be much worse as he’s running for me too.”
Ancelotti on Hubner (scorer of 195 goals in 370 games in his professional career): “It was May 2002, Hubner had been taken on loan by AC Milan for a friendly tournament in the US. At the end of the first half against Ecuador, I couldn’t find him in the dressing room and Abbiati told me that he was in the bathroom. I opened the door and saw him smoking a Malboro with a small can of beer close to him.”
“Dario, what are you doing? You are playing for a confirmation at AC Milan...”
“Gaffer, honestly I’ve been doing this since ages, If I don’t do it, I can’t give my best. I only came to AC Milan to have some popularity and stretch my career for two or three more years, otherwise I would have been in my small village, taking some fresh air. One more thing...do you want a cigarette?”
“At that point I started laughing like everyone else in the dressing room. That’s the way Dario is: genuine and sincere.”
