Arsene Wenger: 'I spent my youth selling cigarettes'

Arsene Wenger knows a thing or two about cigarette culture.

Amid reports that Wojciech Szczesny was caught smoking in the shower following his side's 2-0 defeat at Southampton on New Year's Day, the Arsenal manager reminded the footballing world that he is an ex-smoker himself. This likely explains his lenient reaction regarding the Polish 'keeper.

Wenger stated Friday that Szczesny "is not the first one or the last one" to make a mistake, and on Saturday, he followed up that statement with a vivid description of his smoke-filled childhood in the French region of Alsace.

"I grew up in a pub you did not see from here to the window because of the smoke and I spent my youth selling cigarettes," Wenger said, according to the Guardian. "But times have changed. Society has had an evolution. This is one of the positives today that people don't smoke any more. You cannot smoke in public spaces, that means people who are not smokers don't suffer."

Of course, criticizing Szczesny would be perceived as hypocritical, particularly given the video of Wenger smoking on the sidelines during his time as manager of AS Monaco.

"The other day I was on French television, they showed me on the bench smoking a cigarette," Wenger said. "I didn't even think it was me! At that time I remember Lippi at Juventus smoked a cigar during the whole game in every game. Imagine the guy sitting next to him?"

When asked if he had smoked because of stress, Wenger replied: "Of course."