Wojciech Szczesny joining Barcelona might come off as the most random transfer ever, but it actually ended up happening due to an emergency. After the La Liga giants witnessed their captain Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffer a season-ending injury, they desperately needed an experienced goalkeeper to compete with no.2 Inaki Pena.
Szczesny had actually retired from football after being released by Juventus at the end of June, 2024. He was having fun relaxing when the offer from Barcelona arrived, and that was an offer he couldn’t refuse. Even though the Polish goalkeeper is yet to make his debut for the club, one of his habits has already started being put under the radar.
During his time at Juventus, Szczesny developed the habit of occasionally smoking. That wasn’t something the club banned and he liked having the occasion smoke to take the edge off. His smoking habit has become a topic of much debate since he arrived at Barcelona, with some fans frowning at it and others being totally okay.
Amidst all this, a picture of Szczesny has started going viral on social media. It shows him posing with a selfie in front of the Barcelona training ground aka Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, but with a cigarette lit up on his lips. The positioning of his lips is in such a way that is normal for smokers who are trying to say something while holding a cigarette on their mouth. Or when they need to take a selfie or something else.
This sparked some hilarious reactions as some fans were stunned to see Szczesny take a picture in public in such a state. Some fans started creating memes of how he mght be the next footballer to have a cigarette packet in his socks during Barcelona matches. Some AI pictures of him smoking cigars have also followed up.
Of course, Szczesny has often been seen smoking cigarettes in public places or events. He likes having a smoke in his free time and sometimes even did in when mingling with his Juventus teammates. But this particular selfie where he seems to be holding a cigarette is totally fake. This selfie was actually taken by the Polish goalkeeper to help promote Barcelona’s partnership with HMD Mobile devices.
HMD is the same company that makes mobile phones for the company ‘Nokia’ and they also have a partnership with Barcelona. The Blaugrana’s social media account posted the selfie of Szczesny on their accounts and also a clip where he can be seen taking a selfie with the use of an HMD mobile phone.
What some misheavous fans did afterward was just alter some bits of the picture. They added a bit of a gap in between of lips and stuck a photo of a cigarette in that part, making it look like he was actually smoking. This was probably done in joke, but the reality is that it’s obviously fabricated because the goalkeeper would never take such pictures in public.
Szczesny remains adamant that his smoking habits does not harm anybody and he won’t change it irrespective of what anyone thinks about it. He stated on the topic: “I do not smoke in front of children so as not to affect them. Sometimes, someone takes a picture of me while hiding behind trees, where I can’t see them. This is not in my hands. I try to hide it and not show it to people.
“If anyone thinks that I will change something in my personal life, think again because I will not do that and I will remain the same I’ve been like this all my life, and these things are nobody’s business. I want to be judged as a goalkeeper and not by looking for stories that don’t interest anyone.”
Even though Szczesny is definitely free to smoke in his personal time, he needs to ensure that doesn’t have an impact on his performance or fitness levels. The Polish goalkeeper, who hasn’t played any match this season, is poised to potentially make his Barcelona debut in their upcoming La Liga clash against Sevilla on October 20.