Former Arsenal and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech made his competitive ice hockey debut on Sunday, helping the Guildford Phoenix win on a penalty shootout save.
The 37-year-old is a big fan of the sport and said he it was a dream to play in a game after his retirement from football last year. He signed last week with Guildford, who play National Ice Hockey League South 2.
Petr Cech can do it all 🏒 ⚽️
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 13, 2019
He saved two crucial penalties for a shootout win! pic.twitter.com/YB7bv4veiS
"It is kind of a childhood dream to come and play one game, which has [now] happened," said Cech, whose penalty save as netminder beat Swindon Wildcats 2 and helped maintain Phoenix's perfect start. "Nobody will ever take this away from me, which is really nice."
Cech wore a custom-made goalie mask adorned with the Union Jack flag on top, along with the crests of Chelsea and Arsenal.
"If you have a dream and you chase it and you do everything to make it happen... I have done that in football and all my dreams have come true," he added after the 3-2 win. "I said, 'this might be the last dream I was hoping to [tick off]'. But I worked hard for it."
Cech serves as a technical advisor for Chelsea, where he played 10 seasons and won four Premier League titles and the 2012-13 Champions League. After his time at Stamford Bridge, he played an additional four campaigns at London rivals Arsenal before retiring.