'You can only talk to him before a shower, otherwise you stink of smoke': Giorgio Chiellini lifts the lid on Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri's 'outlandish attachment to cigarettes'

Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini admits manager Maurizio Sarri's obsession with cigarettes is so bad that you need to shower after speaking to him.

The Italian manager, 61, is understood to smoke around 60 cigarettes a day and has even been seen smoking on the touchline during his career.


And Chiellini reveals that Juventus players make sure they speak to Sarri immediately after a match in order to avoid speaking to him after their post-match shower.

Giorgio Chiellini saus Juventus players want to shower after speaking to boss Maurizio Sarri

Sarri is a heavy smoker and Chillieni reveals players stink of tobacco after chatting to him


The Italian defender said in his autobiography: 'He's got a very closed-off personality, doesn't let much slip, even if Juventus managed to whittle down some of his sharper edges.'

'The one thing nobody has been able to change is his outlandish attachment to cigarettes.

'You can only go and talk to him in his office before a shower, still wearing your playing kit, because otherwise we'd stink of smoke.'

Sarri's journey to the most high-profile club management role in Italy has been remarkable, beginning his coaching career at amateur sides such as U.S.D Stia and U.S Fallese in the 1990s whilst also working as a part-time banker.

After rising through the Italian divisions, Sarri became known to the wider world when he took the Napoli manager's role in 2015. His success in southern Italy earned him a move to Chelsea in 2018, where he won the Europa League in his only season in English football.

Sarri was Chelsea's manager in the 2018-19 season and was often seen smoking at matches


Sarri now coaches the Italian giants and the Turin side currently sit at the top of the league

He joined the Old Lady last June, with the Turin side currently top of Serie A and looking to gain their ninth consecutive Scudetto title.

In his autobiography, Chiellini says that Sarri's meticulous character is the reason why he has managed to rise to the top of the Italian football pyramid.

The defender added: 'He is always seeking perfection, for example 100 per cent possession in the opposition half.

'It's utopia, of course, but perhaps that pursuit is what allowed him to work his way up from the bottom to where he is now.'