Former Arsenal star admits defeat in addiction battle as he urges other players to 'NOT follow' in his footsteps

Former Arsenal star Wojciech Szczesny has admitted defeat in his battle against an addiction.

The Polish keeper made a shock return to football last October, signing for Barcelona as a free agent following an injury to long-term No1, Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

He has become a fan favorite with the Catalans having tasted defeat just once in 25 appearances across all competitions

Barcelona fans have been heard chanting 'Szczesny fumador' regularly, which translates to 'smoker Szczesny', due to his smoking habits.

And the 35-year-old has urged others to not follow in his footsteps, telling ESPN: 'There are some parts of the game where I believe I can be a perfect example for young people or in fact, for my teammates.

'And there are some things in my career that you better not follow. In a few aspects, I fail at [being an example], but I try to be the best version of myself, and I try to give the correct example to my teammates, to young kids who watch us.

'But mentioning the subject of smoking, please do not follow me and don't do it. I've lost the fight. When I was very young, I created a habit that is very negative for me, and I know it is. I just lose against it. So for anybody watching: Don't do what I did.'

Last October, Szczesny doubled down on his smoking habits as he insisted 'it's nobody else's business'.

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, he said: 'There are things that I don't change in my personal life and it's nobody's business if I smoke.

'I believe that it doesn't affect what I do on the pitch, I work twice as hard.'

'I don't do it in front of kids because I don't want to have a bad influence on them. Sometimes somebody will take a photo from the trees where I have a cigarette, that's on them, not on me.

'If somebody thinks that I will change the way I am in my personal life they can think again because I am who I am. I've been this way my whole life.'

Szczesny famously landed himself in hot water after smoking in Arsenal's dressing room following a 2-0 loss to Southampton in 2015.

He departed the Gunners later that year to join Roma on loan for two years before sealing a move to Juventus in 2017.

The veteran spent seven years in Turin and amassed 252 appearances for the club, winning the Scudetto on three occasions as well as three Coppa Italias.

Szczesny announced his retirement last August but returned to the sport just two months later to join Barcelona.