In England it's a rare thing to see a player smoking but all in all I prefer that to an alcoholic. The relationship with alcohol is a real problem in English football and in the short term it's much more harmful to a sportsman. It weakens the body which becomes more susceptible to injury.
I'm 58 years old and I just went through 8 back surgeries. They started cutting on me in February 2009 and I was basically bed ridden for almost two years. I got a real dose of reality that if you don't have your health you don't have anything.
