After spending a week in China as the NHL’s hockey ambassador, Alex Ovechkin returned home to Moscow where he was honored with the ceremonial first kick at Saturday’s match between FC Dynamo Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg of the Russian Premier Liga.
According to FC Dynamo Moscow, Ovechkin was greeted on the field by the club’s general director, Yuri Belkin, and presented with a ball signed by Dmitri Khokhlov, the team’s manager and storied former player.
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Ovechkin took the honorary first kick in comfort, wearing a light-colored camouflage sweatsuit and a blue Dynamo Moscow scarf around his neck.
Ovechkin’s hometown team fell to the visiting Zenit by a score of 0-2.
The Russian machine, who attended the game with his friend Gus, posed for photos with fans at the stadium.
Earlier this summer, Ovechkin, an avid soccer fan, attended the UEFA Champions League Final, where he cheered on his favorite EPL team, Liverpool FC. Also an FC Barcelona fan, Ovechkin was gifted a vacation by his teammates in 2018 to see the Spanish soccer team play in Barcelona.
