Top 10 Famous Football Managers who Smoke

7. Ricardo Lavolpe

Lavolpe’s smoking habits came into the limelight during his term as Mexico’s manager. He was warned by FIFA for smoking during Mexico’s 2006 World Cup opening game against Iran. Lavolpe responded by telling FIFA that he’d rather give up football than smoking.

He did, however, quit smoking and began tucking into donuts instead. He candidly described how much he enjoyed it, adding that if he was drinking on the job it might affect his managerial skills, but that no-one has been dismissed for being “smoked-out and disorderly”

6. Slaven Bilic

Low-life Mafia style suits, chain-smoking on the touchline and member of a thrash metal band called Rawbau – Slaven Bilic is probably one of the coolest managers ever.

He was even issued a warning by the Turkish Football Federation after being caught smoking inside the football stadium, despite the no-smoking ban.

5. Marcello Lippi

Lippi has been smoking since his mid-teens, and it doesn’t seem as if he would be kicking the habit anytime soon. Cigarettes have now paved the way to cigars, and Lippi was seen chomping on a cigar after winning the 2006 World Cup final.

4. Carlo Ancelloti

Ancelloti began smoking at the age of 25, and he hasn’t managed to kick the habit as yet. He was even reprimanded for smoking on the bench when he visited Celtic as manager of AC Milan in 2007.

“Until three years ago in Italy you could smoke on the bench,” he explains.

“I used to like that, although I remember one time, when we were playing Ajax in the Champions League quarter-final in 2003, we scored in the last minute, and Gennaro Gattuso jumps off the bench and grabs me from behind. I nearly swallowed the thing.”