The Tall Wall That Was Petr Cech [2/2]

The 2005/06 season went very well for Cech. He conceded only 22 goals in the league. Won the golden gloves and the Premier League. In 2005 he was also the IFFHS Goalkeeper of the Year. This time he signed a contract with Chelsea till 2010. Everything was going well in England for Cech, but suddenly there was an accident. In the first minute of the Premier League match against Reading on 14 October 2006, due to a collision with Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt's knee Cech's skull cracked. He was immediately removed from the pitch and taken to hospital. Doctors said Cech could've died if they were even 10-15 late to get him to the hospital. Where there is no certainty about life, playing football is fantasy. But since the man is Petr Cech, he is not supposed to give up so easily. Cech did not give up, he returned to training on October 24 of that year. But couldn't play till a many months after.

In the first part of this story I mentioned Petr Cech had a relatively weak skull. After it was damaged in the accident, the doctor advised him to wear a skull protective mask. Later, his skull was healed, but he never entered the field without this mask. Later, this mask became the trademark of Cech. In the absence of Cech, Chelsea realized his importance, and it was not possible for Chelsea to retain the title as they did not have Cech for half the season. Cech returned in January 2007 against Liverpool. Though Chelsea lost 2-0 in that game, Cech kept a clean sheet in the next nine games for a total 810 minutes. As became the Player of the Month in April 2007. He needed 50 stitches after getting injured during training in 2007, so he went off the field again for a long time.

He started the 2008/09 season with a new initiative, getting 11 clean sheets in the first 16 league matches of the service. His 100th clean sheet was a 5-0 win against Sunderland. Chelsea won their 3rd Premier League under Carlo Ancelotti in the 2009/10 season, Cech winning the Golden Gloves for the second time with 17 clean sheets. For the first time in the 2010/11 season, Cech was named Chelsea's Player of the Year. And in the 2012/13 season, he won the Europa League. I already talked about his champions league glory. On 11 January 2014, he broke Peter Bonnetti's 208 clean sheet club record by beating Hull City 2-0. Cech made his 100th Champions League appearance in a 2-0 win over Galatasaray at Stamford Bridge on April 17, 2014. The 4th goalkeeper to do so, only behind Iker Casillas, Victor Valdes and Oliver Kahn. Despite many injuries, he won the golden gloves again in the 2013/14 season. At the beginning of the 2014/15 season, Cech stepped into his 32nd. He could not fight with the injuries like before. Cech was still reluctant to be second choice when Courtois came jn. So he was transferred to city rivals Arsenal in June 2015 for a fee of 10million, where he became the team's first-choice goalkeeper in Sezczsney's absence and won his 4th Premier League Golden Gloves. The following years did not go very well there. He retired from Arsenal in 2019 after losing to his former team Chelsea in the Europa League final.

This time he said goodbye to his football career permanently. Since making his national team debut in 2002, he has played 124 matches for the Czech Republic, the record for most matches played by a player for the Czech Republic. Cech has won everything at Chelsea.There are 4 Premier Leagues, 5 FA Cups (one for Arsenal), 1 Champions League, 1 Europa League. Whether it is a national team or a club, Cech has set many records. In the Czech Republic he holds the record for most Footballer of the Year awards. (9). Cech's also the most played foreign player in Chelsea's history with 494 caps. He holds the record for most 228 clean sheets for Chelsea, and even 202 premier league clean sheets, his name is at the forefront of the list. His name is not very often pronounced like his contemporaries like Buffon, Casillas, Valdes because he was born in a middle class country of football. the Czech Republic guy is one of the best goalkeepers in modern football. born in the middle-class Czech Republic he dreamed of becoming a great footballer. Whose name is the name of the country, his identity was handicapped because of his country. [2/2]