Tuesday, 6th February 2007 at 10:25 am

Return of the Big Fish

When he finally quit the professional game, knees struggling severely after a succession of poorly executed operations, Mark Fish returned home to live up his retirement: fast cars, lingerie model wife, estate in the country. But the lure of the game is a powerful one, and so, after a spell on Strictly Come Dancing, several trips to last year’s World Cup, and a brief flirtation with beach soccer (a la Eric Cantona), the Big Fish is back - for Jomo Cosmos.

It’s not quite Serie A or the English Premiership, perhaps, but Cosmos is where a young Fish first played professionally. And while he’d been expected to sign for Pirates (his second club, who could do with a bit of defensive steel at the moment), the Buccaneers didn’t take their chance, and so Fish has signed a six-month deal at Cosmos that could be extended, depending on how the big defender fares on his return to the game.

Much of Fish’s work (in between playing rather ropey golf in a succession of outfits best described as agricultural) has been ambassadorial, with strong links to the 2010 World Cup in particular. But promoting football is always best done from on the field, and in returning (however briefly) to the PSL, Fish will ensure the spotlight is on Cosmos in particular, and the league in general, when he takes the field against Black Leopards this weekend.

How will he do? Anyone’s guess, really, although Fish was world class at his best, and claims to be fit and raring to go, which suggests he’ll make an impact in the local game, injuries and advancing years notwithstanding. But the simple fact that he’s playing again is the important one; local soccer has fallen under the shadow of 2010, and if Fish can give an undervalued league a little more PR, he’ll have done a welcome job. Cosmos-Leopards this weekend is definitely one to watch.