Many Italian club players smoked said former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner, who played for Juventus on rent in season 2012/13.
“It happened in the shower room. I couldn’t find any guys and I felt a little weird. You see, it was my first day. And then I found 10 or 12 guys in the toilet. They were drinking coffee, talking, enjoying each other’s company, and smoking, “Bendtner said in an interview with Five Live quoted by Daily Mail.
“It was a terrific sight. I felt like I was having a great time here.”
He also commented fact that Pirlo and Buffon were among the Juventus players who smoked.
“What can you say to these guys? Their achievements and professionalism speak for themselves, but as for Pirlo and Buffon, it was a discovery for me. Because the professionalism they demonstrated on the field and their sense of community was on a different level. So nobody thought that they could smoke.”
“That’s funny because remember when Mario Balotelli came to England, everyone said he smoked in the toilet. And that was a media sensation – the football player smokes. Smoking players were in every club that I played for.”
“In Italy, it was much more common than in England.”
