Wojciech Szczesny spotted smoking in dressing room after Barcelona's 4-0 win over Real Madrid
Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was spotted smoking a vape inside the club dressing room after their LaLiga game against Real Madrid on Saturday (October 26). The Catalan giants registered a thumping 4-0 win over Real Madrid in the season's first El Clasico at Santiago Bernabeu.
Robert Lewandowski's quick brace (54' and 56') started the Barcelona onslaught after a goalless first half. Lamine Yamal (77') and Raphinha (84') scored to end the game 4-0 for the visitors. It also marked La Blaugrana's first win against Real Madrid in five El Clasicos across competitions.
The club's official social media handle uploaded several clips of the celebrations inside the dressing room. In one of them (reported by Metro), Wojciech Szczesny was seen exhaling smoke from his mouth while standing beside Lamine Yamal.
The video has since been deleted by the Barcelona social media account. You can still have a look at it in the video below (via @lapulgaprop_ on X):
Szczesny came out of retirement to join the Catalan club this summer after a season-ending injury to Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. The German shot-stopper suffered a knock in his right knee during Barcelona's 5-1 victory over Villarreal in September. It was subsequently confirmed by the club that Ter Stegen had ruptured his patella tendon and needed surgery.
Wojciech Szczesny has a history of being criticized for his smoking habits. According to Metro, the Polish veteran was dropped by Arsene Wenger and fined £20,000 for smoking in the shower during his Arsenal days. The incident happened on New Year's Day in 2015, after the Gunners lost 2-0 to Southampton.
Barcelona goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny picks favorite between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi
Wojciech Szczesny recently shared his take on the Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi debate. Widely considered to be the best players to have ever played the game, the longstanding GOAT (Greatest of all time) debate has dominated football discourses for over two decades,
Their rivalry started in its true sense when the Portuguese superstar joined Real Madrid from Manchester United in 2009. From then on, El Clasicos became a global spectacle, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo locking horns with each other every season.
The two have faced each other a total of 18 times in LaLiga, with Lionel Messi winning 10. Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, has amassed four wins and the remaining four have resulted in a stalemate.
In a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo, Wojciech Szczesny shared his thoughts on the eternal GOAT debate. The Polish veteran preferred Lionel Messi because of his gameplay.
"Ronaldo and Messi are very different, they are both great players and for me, they are the best players in history. For the beauty of football that Messi has shown in the last 20 years, for me he has to be number one,” said Szczesny.
Wojciech Szczesny chose the Argentine despite sharing the pitch with the Real Madrid legend during their days in Juventus. The two played 101 games over three seasons for the Old Lady.