I played alongside ‘genius’ Ballon d’Or contender – he smoked cigarettes in the showers at half-time

PREMIER LEAGUE great Peter Crouch revealed the legendary Robert Prosinecki smoked cigarettes in the showers at half-time when he played for Portsmouth.

Crouch and Prosinecki were team-mates at Pompey during the 2001-2002 season and the former has some very fond memories playing with the legendary midfielder.

Peter Crouch and Robert Prosinecki played together at PortsmouthAction Images - Reuters

Prosinecki would smoke in the Portsmouth showers during half-timeGetty - Contributor

Crouch, though, insists Prosinecki was a ‘genius’ on the pitchRex

The former striker still remembers one of the Croatian great’s most unusual rituals, which involved him enjoying a smoke during the manager’s half-time team talk.

Then gaffer Harry Redknapp would allow Prosinecki, who came close to the Ballon d’Or in the 1990s, to partake in the shocking habit.

The ex-Tottenham and Liverpool star, though, insists that when the Real Madrid great put on a pair of boots he was always a “genius” on the pitch.

Crouch said during the latest episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast: “Prosinecki was the best I’ve seen in the dressing room.

“I mean Harry would let him do it, but at half-time he’d just be in the showers having a fag.

“Every time he would say, ‘Robbie’ and he would just pop [and respond], ‘gaffer’! You’d see smoke coming out.

“You obviously don’t get away with that if you’re a normal player. But if you’re him, I mean the man was a genius.”

But Prosinecki’s smoking habit wasn’t the only “weird” phenomenon that took place at the Portsmouth dressing room on a regular basis.

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Shaun Derry suffered from pre-match jitters and would always be sick before taking to the pitch.

Crouch added: “That shower room was weird, Shaun Derry used to throw up before every game [because of] nervous energy.

“Robbie would be there having a fag, Derry would be throwing up… But great times.”