CHELSEA legend Petr Cech has chosen a different shirt number after crossing over from football to ice hockey.
Cech swapped the pitch for the rink shortly after stepping down as the Blues’ technical director in June when Todd Boehly took over from Roman Abramovich.
The legendary goalkeeper began a fresh chapter in his career by becoming the Chelmsford Chieftains’ new goaltender at the age of 40.
But the Czech hero opted to drop his iconic No1 shirt, which he donned at Rennes, Chelsea and Arsenal.
Now Cech wears the No39 shirt.
He does so in homage to legendary Czech goaltender Dominik Hasek, who was also known as The Dominator.
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That number has a special meaning for the Prem legend, who would cut out articles about his favourite goalies, including Hasek, from the age of six to add to a fat scrapbook.
The four-time Premier League champion insists he still “loves” football, which is why he is also working on his coaching badges.
But the former Czech Republic international is also living a childhood dream as an ice hockey player.
Cech told the Mail: “When I was a kid, I wanted to be an ice hockey player.
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“For some reason when you see the goalies with the gear, the pads, the gloves, it resonated with me.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love football. But in terms of playing, I felt being an ice hockey goalie was more fun.
“But as a family, we couldn’t afford to buy all the equipment – the stick, the pads, helmet, gloves, everything. It was super expensive.
“So my dad [Vaclav] took me to football. The timing collided and in the end, football won.’
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
