All Smokers Starting XI

[pulsar]

For sh*ts and giggles was curious who are/were some footballers who smoke: This is what my research turned up. And you know it's true if it's on the internet ;-)

Ancelotti

1) David James

2) John Terry

3) Gallas

4) Berbatov

5) Rooney

6) Ronaldo

7) Ronaldo

8) Maradona

9) Socrates

10) Zidane

11) Cruyff

[Free kick]

9) Socrates

Socrates? Interesting indeed. He was a doctor (medical) wasn't he? i recall this being mentioned on many occasion during the 82 WC.

[Guest Ed]

Could you narrow down your category please? Smoke what exactly??

[pulsar]

These are cigarette smokers. There was Bastian Shweinsteiger on the list. I should have included him. There was a few lists of weed smokers.

Socrates was a two pack a day smoker. Same generation was Bruno Conti from Italy and Roma fame. Loved his smokes. I was shocked as well when I heard that. Berbatov - pack a day supposedly.

[Cheeta]

...

Socrates was a two pack a day smoker. Same generation was Bruno Conti from Italy and Roma fame. Loved his smokes. I was shocked as well when I heard that. Berbatov - pack a day supposedly.

Few years back seen some bit with him in it on the television and he was happily chain-smoking his way through the interviews.

Shrug. Think most of the current/younger generations are disinclined to smoke. Certainly isn't an activity which is participated in the same fashion as when I was younger and not really a habit taken up later in life. Which is just as well since the price of cigarettes isn't really a disincentive to millionaire footballers.

Wonder if de Vos, err Forrest I mean, is still smoking?

[amacpher]

What about Puyol? He sure looks like he smokes and that team could use a couple more defenders.

[pulsar]

Puyol looks like he would drink Lysol....Age is creeping up on him. I was a big critique(sp) of him this world cup but with age comes wisdom and he seems to be making could use of it... on the field at least.

[Unnamed Trialist]

Cruyff only stopped when he had that heart attack when he was on the Barça bench. Then he did these amazing ads "kicking the habit":

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=OLhKXJQ2quQ&feature=related

He says, "In my life I have had two great vices, football and smoking. Football has given me everything, smoking has almost taken everything away."

Also, Barthez, Lev Yashin, Prosinecki, Sheringham. Cosmin Contra, who is now Ricketts coach at Timosoara, says the Romanian national team was allowed to smoke at a Eurocup as long as they did not do it in public.

[Juby]

Ricardo La Volpe is another chain smoking manager, apparently during the 2006 world cup he was told to cut it out by fifa, he responded that he'd rather quit football then quit smoking. He apparantly relented somewhat (from what I hear he just toned it down and hid it from the camera's and major fifa officials)

[Blackdude]

I'll add Joachim Low. Remember Euro 2008 against Portugal where he was filmed smoking in the stadium? (And it was pretty much in a suite, surprised they can do that in Switzerland)

[pulsar]

They are definitely more liberal about smoking that we are. I used to live in Italy and I swear that when you are born, they give you a carton of Marlboro lights just to welcome you into their world. Smoking in the stadiums was prohibited but everyone, including medical staff and security guards smoked. I went to a "pro" baseball game there and players were smoking on the bench.

FYI. Bruno Conti was a baseball player and was offered a prep school scholarship in the US at the age of 13 - or so the story goes.

[jpoma]

They are definitely more liberal about smoking that we are. I used to live in Italy and I swear that when you are born, they give you a carton of Marlboro lights just to welcome you into their world.

Yup. Every time I visit my family, they are constantly stunned that I don't smoke.