Flashscore caught up with Petr Cech in London, a city that has been his home away for home for two decades..
The iconic goalkeeper spent more than a decade with Chelsea and won every trophy there was to win. He still follows his former side, now in a new era under Todd Boehly and BlueCo's ownership, closely. "For the club, it was very important to achieve some significant success after all the big changes. That came with the Club World Cup title, which was a big surprise for me personally," he recalls the Blues' triumph from the summer.
"But I think it’s even more important now for Chelsea to prove themselves this season. That will be the real benchmark. They need to compete for the title, they need to win trophies. So I’m really curious to see how they’ll handle the pressure and the high expectations," Cech adds.
But when it comes to predicting this season's Premier League champions, a different London club is the first that comes to Cech's mind - the one where he finished his illustrious career.
"Arsenal have a really huge chance this year," Cech believes. "All their rivals are having ups and downs in form, while the Gunners are managing to win even the tough games and have built a lead.
"Their Champions League campaign could also give them a boost. The squad has been together for quite a while, they’ve got quality on the bench, too. So I think they have a big chance to finally go all the way this time," he says.
No Czech return for Cech
Many players of Cech's generation of the national team are back in the Czech Republic, working at either club level or in the Czech football association. Former Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky has worked as the Director of Football at Sparta Prague, where Cech also played, since 2018.
Pavel Nedved, Juventus legend and the 2003 Ballon d'Or winner, is the general manager of the Czech national team and is now searching for the new head coach. But their compatriot Cech has no plans to join them anytime soon.
"It's not on the table," he says. "I still live abroad most of the time. To work properly in Czech football, I would have had to stay permanently in Prague, which is not possible for me at the moment. I've had a few offers before, but now I am in a position where I can choose what I want to do, and I have a number of my own projects that I'm actively participating in," he explains.
"On top of that, I want to keep focusing on my kids and their careers," Cech mentions as well. Both of his children play in the Fulham academy - while son Damian (born in 2009) follows in his father's footsteps as a goalkeeper, daughter Adela (2008) is a defender.
Cech's fans and followers will probably know that since retiring from football, he has transitioned to ice hockey - a sport immensely popular in his home country of the Czech Republic. He made his debut as a goaltender for the Guildford Phoenix in the lower leagues five years ago, now he is a part of the roster of the Belfast Giants, who play in the EIHL, the UK's top division.
"I’m on the ice about twice or three times a week now. Because of time constraints and my various projects, I haven’t played a game yet this season, but I believe I’ll get back during November and December," the 43-year-old says. "I’d also love to go to the Olympics in Italy to watch the best players in the world up close."