Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has re-signed the hockey team Elite League Belfast Giants under a short-term loan deal.
From the Oxford City Stars of the National Ice Hockey League, Cech once again joined the Giants as a temporary replacement goalkeeper.
He made one appearance before that in November 2023, when the Giants beat Glasgow Clan 5-1.
"I am delighted to return to Belfast to re-unite with the Giants," Cech said. "I want to return to the ice and create more memories this time."
Cech's few-minute appearance in the victory over Glasgow was the moment he debuted a professional ice cream competition in front of a crowd of more than 6,000 fans at SSE Arena.
Belfast Giants coach Adam Keefe has expressed his delight at bringing the former Czech Republic goalkeeper back to the club.
"Petr is a great guy, and his experience and knowledge of playing at the highest level are invaluable," Keele said.
"It's great to see Petr make his professional debut at the beginning of this season, and once again, we highly appreciate the support of Oxford City Stars."
Cech was previously a Giants visitor to Belfast in April last year, in a match against Ukrainian side Dnipro Kherson, in a charity event that raised more than £65,000.
During his football career, Cech made more than 330 appearances for Chelsea between 2004 and 2015, before playing for Arsenal for another four years.
He won four Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Europa League before retiring in 2019.
Cech has also made 124 international appearances for the Czech Republic, competing in the 2006, EURO 2008 and 2012 World Cups.
After his football career ended, on October 9, 2019, Cech signed a contract with the hockey Guildford Phoenix team of the National Ice Hockey League Division 2 (level 4 of English football) as a goalkeeper.
He continues to work as a technical and performance consultant at Chelsea, while playing hockey in his free time.
He was named Man of the Match in his debut match on 13 October, after blocking two penalty kicks in a penalty shootout and making a number of other important saves.
After winning a treble with Guildford Phoenix in the 2021-2022 season, Cech signed for the Chelmsford Chieftains of the National Ice Hockey League Division 1 in November 2022.
After 1 season, in June 2023, Cech signed a contract with the first-tier club Oxford City Stars.
In November 2023, Cech joined Belfast Giants - champion of Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), on loan as a temporary reserve player.
In an interview with Belfast Telegraph, Cech revealed that, in addition to football, as a young player, he played hockey for youth outside of football, but the cost of equipment forced him to play a significantly cheaper sport, football.
