Brescia and Piacenza legend Dario Hubner was known just as much for his off the field lifestyle as his Serie A goals. “My father would sneak cigarettes and home-made grappa into the training ground. I gave some to Al-Saadi Gaddafi once…”

The striker turns 53 later this month and found top flight success late in his career, above all when joint Capocannoniere with David Trezeguet on 24 goals in 2001-02.

“I’d smoke at least 20-25 Marlboro per day and I did it openly,” ‘The Bison’ told Quotidiano.net.

Brescia and Piacenza legend Dario Hubner was known just as much for his off the field lifestyle as his Serie A goals. “My father would sneak cigarettes and home-made grappa into the training ground. I gave some to Al-Saadi Gaddafi once…”

The striker turns 53 later this month and found top flight success late in his career, above all when joint Capocannoniere with David Trezeguet on 24 goals in 2001-02.

“I’d smoke at least 20-25 Marlboro per day and I did it openly,” ‘The Bison’ told Quotidiano.net.

“No coach ever tried to stop me, all they cared about was that I delivered on the pitch. I did a lot of sport and that saved me. I did finally stop smoking last May, now I only vape.

“My father used to sneak cigarettes and home-made grappa into the training retreat for me, when we were based close to my home in Trieste.”

There was also a cultural exchange with Al-Saadi Gaddafi, the son of Libyan leader Mouammar Gaddafi, who was briefly Hubner’s teammate at Perugia, involving the high-alcohol drink.

“One time, I gave a bottle of very strong grappa to Saadi. The next day, he was late to training. I thought oh no, maybe my grappa hurt him. However, he soon walked into the dressing room and pointed at me: ‘Mister Hubner, very good, grazie!’”

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