Petr Cech
Encyclopedia
Petr Čech (ˈpɛtr̩ ˈtʃɛx) (born 20 May 1982) is a Czech
footballer who plays for Chelsea
and the Czech Republic
as a goalkeeper. Čech previously played for Viktoria Plzeň
, Chmel Blšany
, Sparta Prague, and Rennes
. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004
after helping his country reach the semi-finals. Čech also received the individual award of Best Goalkeeper in the 2004/2005
, 2006/2007
and 2007/2008 seasons of the UEFA Champions League
. In addition, he was named in the FIFPro
and UEFA Champions League
teams of the season in 2006.
He currently holds the Premier League record for fewest appearances required to reach 100 clean sheets, having done so in 180 league appearances. He also holds a Czech professional league record of not conceding a goal in 855 competitive minutes (he previously held a record for the most clean sheets accomplished in a single Premier League season (25), set during Chelsea’s 2004–05 title-winning campaign). He also has a club record at his former team Sparta Prague, having gone 928 minutes unbeaten in all competitions in 2001–2002, when his unbeaten run in Czech league competition was combined with his performances in the UEFA Champions League. During the 2004–05 season, Čech went 1,025 minutes without conceding a goal — a Premier League record until it was surpassed by Edwin van der Sar
of Manchester United
on 27 January 2009. Čech also won the Barclays Golden Glove
s in both the 2004/2005 and 2009/2010 seasons.
He was recognised by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics
as one of Five World's Best Goalkeepers
in 2010, along with Iker Casillas
, Júlio César, Manuel Neuer
, and Maarten Stekelenburg.
Petr Čech is widely regarded as one of the world's best goalkeepers.
, Čech started playing football at age seven for Škoda Plzeň (later known as FC Viktoria Plzeň
). He first started as a striker due to him being tall at an early age. Čech started as a goal keeper in training, goalkeeper coaches took note of his abilities. By age 14, Čech grew from 180 cm to 196 cm. This drew him attention, not because of his height, but his talent as a goalkeeper. Čech was transferred to FK Chmel Blšany
and made his debut for the team on 30 October 1999. Čech became a regular for Blšany and attracted lots of attention. Čech then moved to Sparta Prague at the age of 19.
Petr started as a winger and due to his height was placed in goal when the keeper was sent off.
In his two seasons in France, Čech became accustomed to the pressure exerted on foreign players, especially goalkeepers. He performed admirably in a number of difficult matches. During his first season in the team, Rennes were stuck at the bottom of the table and escaped relegation in the last round with a win over Montpellier.
, then manager of Chelsea
, who decided that Čech was his choice as understudy
to Carlo Cudicini
. After the original bid was rejected, Rennes accepted a second in February. Čech agreed a summer move to Chelsea for £7 million, signing a five-year contract, to commence in July 2004. This transfer meant that he was the most expensive Chelsea goalkeeper in history. Čech’s transfer from Rennes was one of those about which the Stevens inquiry report in June 2007 expressed concerns because of the lack of co-operation from agents Pini Zahavi
and Barry Silkman
.
, he was established as Chelsea's first choice. However, Cudicini suffered a pre-season elbow injury that allowed Mourinho to promote Čech into the starting spot. And since then, Čech has kept starting spot from his first new season. He kept a clean sheet in his Premier League debut in a 1–0 victory over Manchester United
.
On 5 March 2005, Čech set a new Premier League record of 1,025 minutes without letting in a goal. This record has since been broken by Manchester United's Edwin van der Sar
. He finally conceded to Leon McKenzie
of Norwich City
, after keeping a clean sheet in the league since 12 December 2004 when Thierry Henry
scored for Arsenal
. Čech was given a special award by the Premier League for the new record, and he was also awarded the Golden Gloves at the end of the 2004–05
season for keeping a record 25 clean sheets. Chelsea retained the Premier League title in 2005—06, with Čech playing in all but two games in the League. The team conceded only 15 goals in the entire League season, also a record.
midfielder Stephen Hunt both challenged for the ball inside Chelsea's penalty area within the first twenty seconds of a league match at the Madejski Stadium
. Hunt's knee hit Čech's head, leaving the keeper dazed. Čech was taken off after several minutes and replaced by Carlo Cudicini
, who himself was knocked unconscious later in the same game. Captain John Terry
ended up going in goal for the remaining minutes. Čech underwent surgery for a depressed skull fracture
. Initially unaware of the seriousness of the injury, the doctors later reported that it nearly cost Čech his life, and as a result of the collision, he suffered intense headaches and was warned by his doctor that returning too early could be fatal. Speaking shortly afterwards, Čech’s father claimed his son would be out of football for a year.
Chelsea manager José Mourinho
blamed Hunt for Čech's injury, saying:
Trust and match referee Mike Riley
. Much media comment followed, some agreeing with, some condemning Mourinho's claims. A number of commentators, including current and former goalkeepers, saw the incident as highlighting the need for greater protection for keepers.
Following hospital treatment, Čech returned home on 24 October 2006 and in the following week he came back to a period of light training. However, Chelsea
announced that the goalkeeper would be out for three months, in line with medical advice on the time needed for complete recovery from the skull fracture. In an interview on Chelsea TV
, Čech said that he had no memory of the injury itself.
, which he continued to wear in every game. The headguard was made by Canterbury of New Zealand
, a company that specializes in protective rugby gear, and includes extra plastic polymer foam protection to cover the areas of his skull weakened by the collision. Čech’s use of the scrum cap caused initial friction with Chelsea’s apparel manufacturer Adidas
, which were not pleased by a Chelsea player apparently advertising for another company, but the controversy quickly blew over when the competitor's logo was removed. Adidas then went on to develop a scrum cap of their own which carries the '3 stripes' logo and is designed specifically for Čech.
Since the injury, Čech has continued to wear the scrum cap owing to the weaker than normal bone structure in his skull.
Although Chelsea lost Čech's comeback match 2–0, he then went approximately 810 minutes of Premier League play without conceding a goal. On 11 April 2007, Čech was awarded the FA Premier League Player of the Month award for the first time in his career in recognition of the eight successive league clean sheets he had kept. He also was the first goalkeeper to receive the award since Tim Flowers
in 2000. This run was ended during a 4–1 Chelsea victory over West Ham United on 18 April 2007 when Carlos Tévez
scored against him.
Čech also kept a clean sheet for Chelsea in the 2007 FA Cup Final
against Manchester United. He shared with United’s Edwin van der Sar
the honour of being the first goalkeepers to keep a clean sheet over 90 minutes in a competitive fixture, but became the first goalkeeper to end a competitive game unbeaten, at the new Wembley Stadium
, as Chelsea beat United 1–0 to win the FA Cup.
On 7 November 2007, Čech suffered an ankle injury in the 0–0 Champions League Match at Schalke 04
. This sidelined him for a few weeks before badly bruising his hip against Blackburn on 23 December 2007.
Chelsea suffered their first major blow when they lost the Carling Cup Final to Tottenham Hotspur, with Čech parrying the ball onto Jonathan Woodgate’s head for the winner. He played in several games until the eve of Chelsea’s home Champions League tie with Greek champions Olympiacos when he injured his ankle in training. In the weeks that followed, Čech missed key games of Chelsea’s campaign including the Arsenal London derby and the Champions League quarter-final first and second legs.
On 7 April 2008 it was announced that Čech had undergone emergency surgery on his chin and lips following an accidental collision with Tal Ben Haim
during training. He had 50 stitches put on his mouth and chin, having missed 22 games this season due to injuries, Čech said he hoped to get back on the field within a few weeks. He returned to action on 14 April, in a home match against Wigan, which Chelsea drew 1–1. He appeared in the Champions league final against Manchester United, where Chelsea lost on penalties.
5–0 at Stamford Bridge, a result that gave Čech a century of Chelsea clean sheets. Čech kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory over Juventus
in the Champions League
on his 200th appearance for the club, and he also starred in a crucial 1–0 victory away at Villa Park
against Aston Villa
, making good saves from Gabriel Agbonlahor
and Gareth Barry
to second Chelsea third in the Premier League. The following week, Čech helped Chelsea go second in the table after his side beat Wigan
at Stamford Bridge
2–1, with Čech saving from Paul Scharner
in the first half. Successive clean sheets by Čech in Chelsea's wins against Portsmouth
and Coventry
have seen his side consolidate their position in the Premier League whilst progressing into the FA Cup
semi-finals. Čech also made crucial saves from Dirk Kuyt
and Xabi Alonso
as Chelsea beat Liverpool
3–1 at Anfield
in the first leg of their Champions League
quarter-finals.
In a crucial Premier League game in April 2009, with Chelsea seemingly cruising against Bolton Wanderers 4–0, manager Guus Hiddink
took off both Didier Drogba
and Frank Lampard
only for Bolton to score three late goals which questioned the Chelsea defence, and in particular Čech. However Čech responded when he saved a penalty from Mark Noble
in Chelsea's 1–0 win at the Boleyn Ground
against West Ham
. He also kept a clean sheet in the next game against Barcelona
during the Champions League semifinal first leg match. Following a 3–2 win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light
, Čech and Chelsea finished the season with the joint-tightest defence in the Premier League along with Manchester United
; conceding just 24 goals over the course of the season. Despite conceding the fastest goal in FA Cup
Final history, Čech helped Chelsea's 2009 FA Cup Final
triumph over Everton
. Chelsea won 2–1, earning the Czech his seventh trophy at the club.
Former coach Luiz Felipe Scolari
accused Čech, Michael Ballack
and Drogba of causing his sacking, saying that they "did not accept my training methods or my demands". Scolari also claimed that it stemmed from a row between him and the Czech goalkeeper over the latter's alleged insistence on being given a personal coach. Čech denied the claims saying that he was "disappointed with [Scolari] because never in my life have I had a personal goalkeeping coach".
final at Wembley. With the game tied 2–2 at the end of normal time, Čech saved penalties from Ryan Giggs
and Patrice Evra
.
Čech kept goal for Chelsea in the six match winning run that opened their season and placed them on top of the Premier League. However,on September 26, 2009, Čech was sent off and at the same time conceded the winning penalty for tripping Wigan Athletic forward Hugo Rodallega
, in the defeat that broke the run and conceded the lead in the league to Manchester United for the time being. On 27 February 2010, Cech picked up an injury in the Champions League
clash against Inter. On the 13th of April against Bolton, Čech kept his 100th clean sheet for Chelsea. Since then Petr has shown many key and solid performances in the last few games remaining in the Premier League. He made a fantastic save against Wigan's Victor Moses
that sealed the Golden Glove award for Petr Cech this season. He concluded his season by saving a penalty against Portsmouth in the FA Cup final, ensuring that the Blues went on to retain the Cup and achieve their first domestic double.
' deflected effort. Cech then made a series of excellent saves from Andrei Arshavin in a 2–0 win over Arsenal
, before keeping a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw at Villa Park
. Čech managed to recover from conceding many goals and losing matches when Chelsea came back to win a UEFA Champion's League match against MSK Zilina
2–1. On March 7 Čech made his 300th Chelsea appearance against Premier League side Blackpool which Chelsea went onto win 3–1. On May 19 Cech was awarded the Chelsea F.C. Player of the Year for the first time. More than 28,000 fans voted for the award, which was handed over by manager Carlo Ancelotti
.
when his penalty shoot-out heroics in the final against France earned the Czech Republic their first title at youth level. He was part of the Czech Euro 2004
team. Some stunning saves helped his team progress as far as the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Greece
on the silver goal rule. He was named in the all-star team as best goalkeeper at the tournament.
The Czech Republic qualified for the 2006 World Cup
, held in Germany, and were placed in Group E, alongside Ghana
, Italy
and the United States
. The Czech Republic was placed third by the end of the group stages, and with one win against the United States, winning by 3–0, and two losses against Ghana and Italy, the score 2–0 in both games, the Czech Republic did not advance to the second round.
On 17 October 2007, Čech was captain of the Czech Republic team for their Euro 2008 Group D qualifier against Germany. He kept a clean sheet and the Czechs defeated Germany 3–0 away to book their place for the finals in Austria and Switzerland. In the last group game of the final tournament, Čech was beaten three times in the final 15 minutes as Turkey overcame a two-goal deficit to knock the Czechs out. Čech had a cross slip through his hands, allowing Nihat
to score the second (and equalizing) goal.
After the blunder against Turkey, he took full responsibility for his team's exit from the UEFA Euro 2008 and actually considered retiring but then he was talked out of it and he stated that he wants to keep representing the Czech Republic "for many years to come" and also stated that he wants to repay his mistake and confidence that all the Czech Republic's players have in him.
. He is left-handed.
Serious injury in October 2006 cast big doubts over the future of his career, but Petr overcame a fractured skull that had required immediate surgery, 30 stitches and much rest to return just three months later. To protect this injury from any future damage, Čech now wears a rugby style helmet in all competitive matches, and this helmet has become something of a trademark of his.
|1999–00||rowspan="2"|Blšany
||rowspan="2"|1. Liga
||1||0||?||?||?||?||0||0||1||0
|-
|2000–01||26||0||?||?||?||?||0||0||26||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Blšany Total
!27!!0!!?!!?!!?!!?!!0!!0!!27!!0
|-
|2001–02||Sparta Prague||1. Liga
||27||0||?||?||?||?||12||0||39||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Sparta Prague Total
!27!!0!!?!!?!!?!!?!!12!!0!!39!!0
|-
|2002–03||rowspan="2"|Rennes||rowspan="2"|Ligue 1
||37||0||?||?||?||?||0||0||37||0
|-
|2003–04||33||0||?||?||?||?||0||0||33||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Rennes Total
!70!!0!!?!!?!!?!!?!!0!!0!!70!!0
|-
|2004–05
||rowspan="8"|Chelsea
||rowspan="8"|Premier League||35||0||0||0||2||0||11||0||48||0
|-
|2005–06
||34||0||0||0||0||0||7||0||41||0
|-
|2006–07
||20||0||6||0||2||0||8||0||36||0
|-
|2007–08||26||0||1||0||3||0||9||0||39||0
|-
|2008–09||35||0||6||0||1||0||12||0||54||0
|-
|2009–10||34||0||2||0||0||0||6||0||42||0
|-
|2010-11||38||0||3||0||0||0||9||0||50||0
|-
|2011–12||10||0||0||0||2||0||4||0||16||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Chelsea total
!232!!0!!18!!0!!10!!0!!66!!0!!326!!0
|-
356||0||18||0||10||0||78||0||462||0
.
Not including appearances in the 2005/06, 2007/08, 2009/10 Community Shield.
|2002||7||0
|-
|2003||8||0
|-
|2004||13||0
|-
|2005||10||0
|-
|2006||10||0
|-
|2007||8||0
|-
|2008||9||0
|-
|2009||7||0
|-
|2010||6||0
|-
|2011||1||0
|-
!Total||79||0
|}
Chelsea
International
Individual
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
footballer who plays for Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
as a goalkeeper. Čech previously played for Viktoria Plzeň
FC Viktoria Plzen
FC Viktoria Plzeň is a Czech professional football club based in Plzeň. They currently play in the Gambrinus liga, the top division of football in the country....
, Chmel Blšany
FK Chmel Blšany
FK Chmel Blšany is a Czech football club based in the village of Blšany. The club plays at the Městský Stadion with capacity of 2.300 seats. That means with every citizen of Blšany village on the tribune, there will be still about 1,500 seats free. It currently plays in Divize B in the Czech Fourth...
, Sparta Prague, and Rennes
Stade Rennais FC
Stade Rennais Football Club is a French association football club based in Rennes. The club was founded in 1901 and currently plays in Ligue 1, the top tier of French football. Rennes plays its home matches at the Stade de la Route de Lorient located within the city...
. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004
2004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
after helping his country reach the semi-finals. Čech also received the individual award of Best Goalkeeper in the 2004/2005
UEFA Champions League 2004-05
The 2004–05 UEFA Champions League was the 50th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, and the 13th since it was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League in 1992. The competition was won by Liverpool, who beat Milan on penalties in the final, having come back from 3–0 down...
, 2006/2007
UEFA Champions League 2006-07
The 2006–07 UEFA Champions League was the 15th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since it was rebranded from the European Cup, and the 52nd season overall. The final was contested by Milan and Liverpool on 23 May 2007...
and 2007/2008 seasons of the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
. In addition, he was named in the FIFPro
FIFPro
The Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels , usually known by the abbreviation FIFPro, is a worldwide representative organization for professional football players. At the moment there are 43 national players associations who are members of FIFPro...
and UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
teams of the season in 2006.
He currently holds the Premier League record for fewest appearances required to reach 100 clean sheets, having done so in 180 league appearances. He also holds a Czech professional league record of not conceding a goal in 855 competitive minutes (he previously held a record for the most clean sheets accomplished in a single Premier League season (25), set during Chelsea’s 2004–05 title-winning campaign). He also has a club record at his former team Sparta Prague, having gone 928 minutes unbeaten in all competitions in 2001–2002, when his unbeaten run in Czech league competition was combined with his performances in the UEFA Champions League. During the 2004–05 season, Čech went 1,025 minutes without conceding a goal — a Premier League record until it was surpassed by Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar OON is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AFC Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He is the most capped player in the Netherlands national football team's history...
of Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
on 27 January 2009. Čech also won the Barclays Golden Glove
Barclays Golden Glove
The Barclays Golden Glove is an annual association football award that is won by the goalkeeper who has kept the most clean sheets in that season's Barclays Premier League. It was formerly called the Barclaycard Golden Glove....
s in both the 2004/2005 and 2009/2010 seasons.
He was recognised by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics
International Federation of Football History & Statistics
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics is an organization that chronicles the history and records of Association football. It was founded on 27 March 1984 at Leipzig by Dr. Alfredo Pöge with the blessings of general secretary of the FIFA at the time, Dr. Helmut Käser...
as one of Five World's Best Goalkeepers
IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper
The IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper is a football award given annually since 1987 to the most outstanding goalkeeper as voted by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics . The votes, in 1996, were cast by IFFHS's editorial staff as well as experts from 89 countries spanning six...
in 2010, along with Iker Casillas
Íker Casillas
Iker Casillas Fernández is a Spanish football goalkeeper who plays for the Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, being the captain of both...
, Júlio César, Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer
Manuel Neuer is a German footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bayern Munich and the German national football team.-Schalke 04:Neuer signed professional terms in 2005 after progressing through every age group at his hometown club. He made his Bundesliga debut when he came on to substitute the...
, and Maarten Stekelenburg.
Petr Čech is widely regarded as one of the world's best goalkeepers.
Early career
Born in Plzeň, CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Čech started playing football at age seven for Škoda Plzeň (later known as FC Viktoria Plzeň
FC Viktoria Plzen
FC Viktoria Plzeň is a Czech professional football club based in Plzeň. They currently play in the Gambrinus liga, the top division of football in the country....
). He first started as a striker due to him being tall at an early age. Čech started as a goal keeper in training, goalkeeper coaches took note of his abilities. By age 14, Čech grew from 180 cm to 196 cm. This drew him attention, not because of his height, but his talent as a goalkeeper. Čech was transferred to FK Chmel Blšany
FK Chmel Blšany
FK Chmel Blšany is a Czech football club based in the village of Blšany. The club plays at the Městský Stadion with capacity of 2.300 seats. That means with every citizen of Blšany village on the tribune, there will be still about 1,500 seats free. It currently plays in Divize B in the Czech Fourth...
and made his debut for the team on 30 October 1999. Čech became a regular for Blšany and attracted lots of attention. Čech then moved to Sparta Prague at the age of 19.
Petr started as a winger and due to his height was placed in goal when the keeper was sent off.
Rennes
Čech did not win the league title in the spring of 2002 with Sparta Prague, but he did experience success elsewhere. At the under-21 European Championships in June, Čech led the Czechs to the final. Here, the Plzeň native excelled. He let in only one of the penalty kicks as his team won the tournament. The hero of the final match of the tournament could not escape the attention of the scouts of foreign clubs. Interest from England (e.g. Arsenal) was spoken about a lot, however, the deal fell through based on the issue of the working permit. In July 2002 Čech moved to French club Stade Rennes.In his two seasons in France, Čech became accustomed to the pressure exerted on foreign players, especially goalkeepers. He performed admirably in a number of difficult matches. During his first season in the team, Rennes were stuck at the bottom of the table and escaped relegation in the last round with a win over Montpellier.
Chelsea
Čech had a trial with Chelsea in 2003. It was Claudio RanieriClaudio Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri, is an Italian football manager, currently in charge as head coach of Internazionale.He has also managed many other well-known clubs in Europe, including Cagliari, Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atlético Madrid, Chelsea, Parma, Juventus and Roma.-Early life:Ranieri attended St...
, then manager of Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, who decided that Čech was his choice as understudy
Understudy
In theater, an understudy is a performer who learns the lines and blocking/choreography of a regular actor or actress in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to appear on stage because of illness or emergencies, the understudy takes over the part...
to Carlo Cudicini
Carlo Cudicini
Carlo Cudicini is an Italian goalkeeper who currently plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. In his 10 years at Chelsea he established himself as one of England's best goalkeepers before injury and the arrival of Petr Cech displaced him as first-choice...
. After the original bid was rejected, Rennes accepted a second in February. Čech agreed a summer move to Chelsea for £7 million, signing a five-year contract, to commence in July 2004. This transfer meant that he was the most expensive Chelsea goalkeeper in history. Čech’s transfer from Rennes was one of those about which the Stevens inquiry report in June 2007 expressed concerns because of the lack of co-operation from agents Pini Zahavi
Pini Zahavi
Pinhas "Pini" Zahavi is a football agent who has been involved in some of the most expensive and controversial transfer episodes of recent times....
and Barry Silkman
Barry Silkman
Barry Silkman, is an English former footballer who had a brief spell in midfield at Manchester City in 1979 and a longer one at Leyton Orient .-Playing career:...
.
2004–05 season
Soon after Carlo Cudicini arrived at Chelsea, from Castel di Sangro CalcioCastel di Sangro Calcio
Castel di Sangro Calcio is an Italian association football club from Castel di Sangro in the Province of L'Aquila, Abruzzo. Their moment of greatness came in 1996, when they were promoted to Serie B, a noteworthy accomplishment for a team coming from a town of only 5,500 residents. Even greater,...
, he was established as Chelsea's first choice. However, Cudicini suffered a pre-season elbow injury that allowed Mourinho to promote Čech into the starting spot. And since then, Čech has kept starting spot from his first new season. He kept a clean sheet in his Premier League debut in a 1–0 victory over Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
.
On 5 March 2005, Čech set a new Premier League record of 1,025 minutes without letting in a goal. This record has since been broken by Manchester United's Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar OON is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AFC Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He is the most capped player in the Netherlands national football team's history...
. He finally conceded to Leon McKenzie
Leon McKenzie
Leon Mark McKenzie is an English professional footballer, who plays for Kettering Town.-Personal life:...
of Norwich City
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, after keeping a clean sheet in the league since 12 December 2004 when Thierry Henry
Thierry Henry
Thierry Daniel Henry is a French professional footballer who plays for the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.Henry was born in Les Ulis, Essonne where he played for an array of local sides as a youngster and showed great promise as a goal-scorer. He was spotted by AS Monaco in 1990 and...
scored for Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. Čech was given a special award by the Premier League for the new record, and he was also awarded the Golden Gloves at the end of the 2004–05
2004-05 in English football
The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
season for keeping a record 25 clean sheets. Chelsea retained the Premier League title in 2005—06, with Čech playing in all but two games in the League. The team conceded only 15 goals in the entire League season, also a record.
2005–06 season
Cech enjoyed another season of success in 2005/06 as Chelsea successfully defended their Premier League crown, with Chelsea conceding only 22 times during the League season. He signed a new contract on 1 February 2006 which will keep him at the club until 2010.2006–07 season
Čech underwent minor shoulder surgery on 27 June 2006 to repair a long-standing injury stemming from the previous season. Čech returned to action on 27 August 2006.Head injury
On 14 October 2006, Čech and ReadingReading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
midfielder Stephen Hunt both challenged for the ball inside Chelsea's penalty area within the first twenty seconds of a league match at the Madejski Stadium
Madejski Stadium
The Madejski Stadium is a stadium in Reading, Berkshire, England. The stadium is the home of Reading Football Club and to the rugby union club London Irish as tenants. It also provides the finish for the Reading Half Marathon...
. Hunt's knee hit Čech's head, leaving the keeper dazed. Čech was taken off after several minutes and replaced by Carlo Cudicini
Carlo Cudicini
Carlo Cudicini is an Italian goalkeeper who currently plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. In his 10 years at Chelsea he established himself as one of England's best goalkeepers before injury and the arrival of Petr Cech displaced him as first-choice...
, who himself was knocked unconscious later in the same game. Captain John Terry
John Terry
John George Terry is an English professional footballer. Terry plays in a centre back position and is the captain of Chelsea in the Premier League...
ended up going in goal for the remaining minutes. Čech underwent surgery for a depressed skull fracture
Skull fracture
A skull fracture is a break in one or more of the bones in the skull usually occurring as a result of blunt force trauma. If the force of the impact is excessive the bone may fracture at or near the site of the impact...
. Initially unaware of the seriousness of the injury, the doctors later reported that it nearly cost Čech his life, and as a result of the collision, he suffered intense headaches and was warned by his doctor that returning too early could be fatal. Speaking shortly afterwards, Čech’s father claimed his son would be out of football for a year.
Chelsea manager José Mourinho
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Félix Mourinho is a Portuguese football manager and the current manager of Real Madrid. He is commonly known as "The Special One".Mourinho is regarded by some players, coaches and critics as the best ever coach in football....
blamed Hunt for Čech's injury, saying:
"The challenge was a disgrace. He is lucky to still be alive."He also criticised the South Central Ambulance Service NHS
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
Trust and match referee Mike Riley
Mike Riley (referee)
Riley took charge of the 2004 Carling Cup final, between Bolton and Middlesbrough, in a game that saw all three goals scored within the first 25 minutes...
. Much media comment followed, some agreeing with, some condemning Mourinho's claims. A number of commentators, including current and former goalkeepers, saw the incident as highlighting the need for greater protection for keepers.
Following hospital treatment, Čech returned home on 24 October 2006 and in the following week he came back to a period of light training. However, Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
announced that the goalkeeper would be out for three months, in line with medical advice on the time needed for complete recovery from the skull fracture. In an interview on Chelsea TV
Chelsea TV
Chelsea TV is a British subscription based sports television channel, dedicated to the fans of the English Premier League football club, Chelsea. The channel first launched in August 2001 on Sky Digital. The station is registered with Ofcom as Chelsea Digital Media Ltd. It broadcasts daily from...
, Čech said that he had no memory of the injury itself.
Return
Čech made his comeback against Liverpool on 20 January 2007, which they eventually lost 2–0, wearing a rugby style headguardScrum cap
The Scrum cap is a form of headgear used by rugby players to protect the ears in the scrum, which can otherwise suffer injuries leading to the condition commonly known as cauliflower ears....
, which he continued to wear in every game. The headguard was made by Canterbury of New Zealand
Canterbury of New Zealand
Canterbury of New Zealand is a New Zealand-based sports apparel company that focuses on rugby football. The company is named after the Canterbury area in New Zealand where the company started to make knitwear. Other than producing rugby kits, the brand is also known for their rugby protective wear...
, a company that specializes in protective rugby gear, and includes extra plastic polymer foam protection to cover the areas of his skull weakened by the collision. Čech’s use of the scrum cap caused initial friction with Chelsea’s apparel manufacturer Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
, which were not pleased by a Chelsea player apparently advertising for another company, but the controversy quickly blew over when the competitor's logo was removed. Adidas then went on to develop a scrum cap of their own which carries the '3 stripes' logo and is designed specifically for Čech.
Since the injury, Čech has continued to wear the scrum cap owing to the weaker than normal bone structure in his skull.
Although Chelsea lost Čech's comeback match 2–0, he then went approximately 810 minutes of Premier League play without conceding a goal. On 11 April 2007, Čech was awarded the FA Premier League Player of the Month award for the first time in his career in recognition of the eight successive league clean sheets he had kept. He also was the first goalkeeper to receive the award since Tim Flowers
Tim Flowers
Timothy David "Tim" Flowers is an English former football goalkeeper and the former manager of Conference North team Stafford Rangers.-Club career:...
in 2000. This run was ended during a 4–1 Chelsea victory over West Ham United on 18 April 2007 when Carlos Tévez
Carlos Tévez
Carlos Alberto Tévez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for English club Manchester City...
scored against him.
Čech also kept a clean sheet for Chelsea in the 2007 FA Cup Final
2007 FA Cup Final
The 2007 FA Cup Final was played on Saturday, 19 May 2007 between Chelsea and Manchester United, who had come up against Premier League opposition in every round. It was the 126th FA Cup Final and the first to be played at the new Wembley Stadium...
against Manchester United. He shared with United’s Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar
Edwin van der Sar OON is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper for AFC Ajax, Juventus, Fulham and Manchester United. He is the most capped player in the Netherlands national football team's history...
the honour of being the first goalkeepers to keep a clean sheet over 90 minutes in a competitive fixture, but became the first goalkeeper to end a competitive game unbeaten, at the new Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, as Chelsea beat United 1–0 to win the FA Cup.
2007–08 season
Čech’s 2007–08 season got off to a rough start with Chelsea conceding 2 goals against Birmingham City on the first match of the season. Despite the setback, Chelsea managed to win 3–2 and set an English record for unbeaten league matches at home.On 7 November 2007, Čech suffered an ankle injury in the 0–0 Champions League Match at Schalke 04
FC Schalke 04
Fußball-Club Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, commonly known as simply FC Schalke 04 or Schalke , is a German, association-football club originally from the Schalke district of Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Schalke has long been one of the most popular football teams in Germany, even though major...
. This sidelined him for a few weeks before badly bruising his hip against Blackburn on 23 December 2007.
Chelsea suffered their first major blow when they lost the Carling Cup Final to Tottenham Hotspur, with Čech parrying the ball onto Jonathan Woodgate’s head for the winner. He played in several games until the eve of Chelsea’s home Champions League tie with Greek champions Olympiacos when he injured his ankle in training. In the weeks that followed, Čech missed key games of Chelsea’s campaign including the Arsenal London derby and the Champions League quarter-final first and second legs.
On 7 April 2008 it was announced that Čech had undergone emergency surgery on his chin and lips following an accidental collision with Tal Ben Haim
Tal Ben Haim
Tal Ben Haim is an Israeli professional footballer who currently plays for Portsmouth.He can play at either centre back or right back. He is also a member of the Israeli national squad...
during training. He had 50 stitches put on his mouth and chin, having missed 22 games this season due to injuries, Čech said he hoped to get back on the field within a few weeks. He returned to action on 14 April, in a home match against Wigan, which Chelsea drew 1–1. He appeared in the Champions league final against Manchester United, where Chelsea lost on penalties.
2008–09 season
Čech started off the 2008–09 season in stunning form, with Chelsea conceding only seven goals in 17 games, keeping 11 clean sheets; ten of which with Čech in goal. In November 2008, Chelsea beat SunderlandSunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
5–0 at Stamford Bridge, a result that gave Čech a century of Chelsea clean sheets. Čech kept a clean sheet in a 1–0 victory over Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
on his 200th appearance for the club, and he also starred in a crucial 1–0 victory away at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
against Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, making good saves from Gabriel Agbonlahor
Gabriel Agbonlahor
Gabriel Imuetinyan "Gabby" Agbonlahor is an English footballer who plays as a striker for Aston Villa. Agbonlahor is a product of Aston Villa's Academy and has earned three caps for the English national team. He is currently the longest-serving player at Villa Park, joining as a youth player in...
and Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry
Gareth Barry is an English footballer who plays for Manchester City and the England national football team.Barry moved to Aston Villa from Brighton & Hove Albion as a youngster, and spent 12 years at the club. He captained Aston Villa, and, at the end of his career with the club, lay eighth in...
to second Chelsea third in the Premier League. The following week, Čech helped Chelsea go second in the table after his side beat Wigan
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
at Stamford Bridge
Stamford Bridge (stadium)
Stamford Bridge is a football stadium in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, West London, and is the home of Chelsea Football Club. The stadium is located within the Moore Park Estate also known as Walham Green and is often referred to as simply The Bridge...
2–1, with Čech saving from Paul Scharner
Paul Scharner
Paul Josef Herbert Scharner is an Austrian footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion of the Premier League. He usually plays as a central defender or midfielder...
in the first half. Successive clean sheets by Čech in Chelsea's wins against Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
and Coventry
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
have seen his side consolidate their position in the Premier League whilst progressing into the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-finals. Čech also made crucial saves from Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt
Dirk Kuyt is a Dutch footballer who plays for English club Liverpool. He started his career as a striker, but he has been converted into a winger and plays the position for both Liverpool and the Netherlands national team....
and Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso
Xabier "Xabi" Alonso Olano is a Spanish World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Real Madrid as a midfielder.Alonso began his career at Real Sociedad, the main team of his home region Gipuzkoa. After a brief loan period at Eibar he returned to Sociedad where then manager John Toshack appointed...
as Chelsea beat Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
3–1 at Anfield
Anfield
Anfield is an association football stadium in the district of Anfield, Liverpool, England, with a seating capacity of 45,522. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892 and was originally the home of Everton F.C. from 1884 to 1892, before they moved to Goodison Park...
in the first leg of their Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
quarter-finals.
In a crucial Premier League game in April 2009, with Chelsea seemingly cruising against Bolton Wanderers 4–0, manager Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink
Guus Hiddink is a Dutch football manager and former player. He was the most recently manager of the Turkish national football team. He is considered to be one of the best managers of his generation and was the best-paid coach in international football in 2009...
took off both Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
and Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard
Frank James Lampard is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Chelsea and the England national team. He also holds the position of vice-captain for his club side...
only for Bolton to score three late goals which questioned the Chelsea defence, and in particular Čech. However Čech responded when he saved a penalty from Mark Noble
Mark Noble
Mark James Noble is an English footballer who plays for West Ham United. He has played all his youth and first team football for West Ham and made 20 appearances, scoring 3 goals, for the England under-21 team which he captained.Despite his relatively young age, Noble is the longest serving player...
in Chelsea's 1–0 win at the Boleyn Ground
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
against West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
. He also kept a clean sheet in the next game against Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
during the Champions League semifinal first leg match. Following a 3–2 win against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches...
, Čech and Chelsea finished the season with the joint-tightest defence in the Premier League along with Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
; conceding just 24 goals over the course of the season. Despite conceding the fastest goal in FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
Final history, Čech helped Chelsea's 2009 FA Cup Final
2009 FA Cup Final
The 2009 FA Cup Final was the 128th final of the world's oldest domestic football cup competition, the FA Cup. The final was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 30 May 2009 and marked the third time that the final has been staged at the stadium since it was rebuilt...
triumph over Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
. Chelsea won 2–1, earning the Czech his seventh trophy at the club.
Former coach Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari
Luiz Felipe Scolari , ComIH , also known as Felipão in Brazil and Phil Scolari in the United Kingdom, is a World Cup-winning Brazilian football manager. He is currently the manager of Palmeiras. He served as the manager of the Portuguese national team from July 12, 2003 to June 30, 2008...
accused Čech, Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack
Michael Ballack is a German professional footballer, who is currently playing for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of his international team. Ballack has worn the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for except for Kaiserslautern...
and Drogba of causing his sacking, saying that they "did not accept my training methods or my demands". Scolari also claimed that it stemmed from a row between him and the Czech goalkeeper over the latter's alleged insistence on being given a personal coach. Čech denied the claims saying that he was "disappointed with [Scolari] because never in my life have I had a personal goalkeeping coach".
2009–10 season
Čech began the 09–10 season in winning form with Chelsea, beating Manchester United in the Community Shield2009 FA Community Shield
The 2009 FA Community Shield was the 87th FA Community Shield, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions...
final at Wembley. With the game tied 2–2 at the end of normal time, Čech saved penalties from Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
and Patrice Evra
Patrice Evra
Patrice Latyr Evra is a French international footballer who currently plays for English club Manchester United in the Premier League and the France national team. Originally an attacker, he primarily plays as a left back and is described as "the classic example of a modern full-back" who is...
.
Čech kept goal for Chelsea in the six match winning run that opened their season and placed them on top of the Premier League. However,on September 26, 2009, Čech was sent off and at the same time conceded the winning penalty for tripping Wigan Athletic forward Hugo Rodallega
Hugo Rodallega
Hugo Rodallega Martínez is a Colombian footballer who plays for English Premier League club Wigan Athletic. He primarily plays as a striker, but can also play on the wing....
, in the defeat that broke the run and conceded the lead in the league to Manchester United for the time being. On 27 February 2010, Cech picked up an injury in the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
clash against Inter. On the 13th of April against Bolton, Čech kept his 100th clean sheet for Chelsea. Since then Petr has shown many key and solid performances in the last few games remaining in the Premier League. He made a fantastic save against Wigan's Victor Moses
Victor Moses
Victor Moses is a footballer who plays for Wigan Athletic. Moses can play in a variety of positions, but in the first-team games he has taken part in so far, Moses has mostly played as a left winger...
that sealed the Golden Glove award for Petr Cech this season. He concluded his season by saving a penalty against Portsmouth in the FA Cup final, ensuring that the Blues went on to retain the Cup and achieve their first domestic double.
2010–11 season
Čech suffered a calf injury in Chelsea's pre-season, a recurrence of an injury suffered against Inter Milan the previous season. A spokesman for Chelsea confirmed: "Petr will be out for around a month after scans showed a tear in his right calf. He is expected to miss the rest of the pre-season campaign." Čech subsequently missed the following three weeks, including Chelsea's 3–1 loss to Manchester United in the Community Shield. He returned on August 14 and kept a clean sheet as Chelsea beat West Bromwich Albion 6–0, which the Czech making a good save from Graham DorransGraham Dorrans
Graham Dorrans is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as an Attacking Midfielder for Premier League club West Bromwich Albion and the Scotland national side. He has a wife and 1 daughter Leah Dorrans...
' deflected effort. Cech then made a series of excellent saves from Andrei Arshavin in a 2–0 win over Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, before keeping a clean sheet in a 0–0 draw at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
. Čech managed to recover from conceding many goals and losing matches when Chelsea came back to win a UEFA Champion's League match against MSK Zilina
MŠK Žilina
MŠK Žilina is a Slovak football club, based in the town of Žilina. They play in the Slovak Superliga and are one of the most successful clubs in this competition, having won five championships since the league's inception in 1993. The club and their supporters alike are nicknamed Šošoni...
2–1. On March 7 Čech made his 300th Chelsea appearance against Premier League side Blackpool which Chelsea went onto win 3–1. On May 19 Cech was awarded the Chelsea F.C. Player of the Year for the first time. More than 28,000 fans voted for the award, which was handed over by manager Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is an Italian football manager, Nicknamed Carletto, Ancelotti played as a midfielder and had a successful career with Roma – captaining the team – with whom he won one Scudetto and 4 Coppa Italia and was part of the legendary late 80's Milan team, with whom he won two Scudetti and...
.
2011-12 season
Cech started the opening game of Chelsea`s 2011-12 season away to Stoke City, which ended 0–0. On the 18th August 2011 Cech was ruled out for up to four weeks after he sustained a knee injury in training. He made his return 3 weeks later against Sunderland in which Chelsea won 1-2. He kept a clean sheet in Chelsea's first Champions League match of the season in a 2-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.International career
Čech began his career in the U16s, working his way up each age group level before making his senior debut in February 2002. He first came to prominence as a twenty-year-old at the 2002 U-21 European Championships2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
UEFA U-21 Championship 2002 was the 13th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Switzerland between 16 and 28 May 2002.Czech Republic U-21s won the competition for the first time.-Qualification:...
when his penalty shoot-out heroics in the final against France earned the Czech Republic their first title at youth level. He was part of the Czech Euro 2004
2004 UEFA European Football Championship
The 2004 UEFA European Football Championship, better known as Euro 2004, was the 12th European Football Championship, a quadrennial football tournament for European national teams. It was hosted in Portugal, for the first time, between 12 June and 4 July 2004, following its selection by UEFA, in...
team. Some stunning saves helped his team progress as far as the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
on the silver goal rule. He was named in the all-star team as best goalkeeper at the tournament.
The Czech Republic qualified for the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, held in Germany, and were placed in Group E, alongside Ghana
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
, Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
and the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
. The Czech Republic was placed third by the end of the group stages, and with one win against the United States, winning by 3–0, and two losses against Ghana and Italy, the score 2–0 in both games, the Czech Republic did not advance to the second round.
On 17 October 2007, Čech was captain of the Czech Republic team for their Euro 2008 Group D qualifier against Germany. He kept a clean sheet and the Czechs defeated Germany 3–0 away to book their place for the finals in Austria and Switzerland. In the last group game of the final tournament, Čech was beaten three times in the final 15 minutes as Turkey overcame a two-goal deficit to knock the Czechs out. Čech had a cross slip through his hands, allowing Nihat
Nihat Kahveci
Nihat Kahveci is a Turkish footballer. Nihat plays as a Forward.-Biography:Nihat's family name, Kahveci, means "coffee maker." Many people in Turkey adopted the name of their profession as their family name in the early 20th century, suggesting that Nihat's ancestors were in the coffee business...
to score the second (and equalizing) goal.
After the blunder against Turkey, he took full responsibility for his team's exit from the UEFA Euro 2008 and actually considered retiring but then he was talked out of it and he stated that he wants to keep representing the Czech Republic "for many years to come" and also stated that he wants to repay his mistake and confidence that all the Czech Republic's players have in him.
Personal life
Čech has two sisters, Marketa who is older, and Sarka who is the same age. He was born a triplet along with Sarka and a brother named Michal who died aged two after contracting an infection in hospital. He is married to Martina Čechová (b. 1982) who is also of Czech nationality. They have a daughter Adéla (b. January 23, 2008) and a son Damián (b. June 16, 2009), both born in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. He is left-handed.
Serious injury in October 2006 cast big doubts over the future of his career, but Petr overcame a fractured skull that had required immediate surgery, 30 stitches and much rest to return just three months later. To protect this injury from any future damage, Čech now wears a rugby style helmet in all competitive matches, and this helmet has become something of a trademark of his.
Club appearances
|-|1999–00||rowspan="2"|Blšany
FK Chmel Blšany
FK Chmel Blšany is a Czech football club based in the village of Blšany. The club plays at the Městský Stadion with capacity of 2.300 seats. That means with every citizen of Blšany village on the tribune, there will be still about 1,500 seats free. It currently plays in Divize B in the Czech Fourth...
||rowspan="2"|1. Liga
Gambrinus Liga
The Gambrinus liga is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the Czech 2. Liga. Seasons run from August to May,...
||1||0||?||?||?||?||0||0||1||0
|-
|2000–01||26||0||?||?||?||?||0||0||26||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Blšany Total
!27!!0!!?!!?!!?!!?!!0!!0!!27!!0
|-
|2001–02||Sparta Prague||1. Liga
Gambrinus Liga
The Gambrinus liga is a Czech professional league for football clubs. At the top of the Czech football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 16 clubs, operating a system of promotion and relegation with the Czech 2. Liga. Seasons run from August to May,...
||27||0||?||?||?||?||12||0||39||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Sparta Prague Total
!27!!0!!?!!?!!?!!?!!12!!0!!39!!0
|-
|2002–03||rowspan="2"|Rennes||rowspan="2"|Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
||37||0||?||?||?||?||0||0||37||0
|-
|2003–04||33||0||?||?||?||?||0||0||33||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Rennes Total
!70!!0!!?!!?!!?!!?!!0!!0!!70!!0
|-
|2004–05
FA Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....
||rowspan="8"|Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
||rowspan="8"|Premier League||35||0||0||0||2||0||11||0||48||0
|-
|2005–06
FA Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...
||34||0||0||0||0||0||7||0||41||0
|-
|2006–07
FA Premier League 2006-07
The 2006–07 FA Premier League was the fifteenth season of the FA Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The season started on 19 August 2006 and concluded on 13 May 2007....
||20||0||6||0||2||0||8||0||36||0
|-
|2007–08||26||0||1||0||3||0||9||0||39||0
|-
|2008–09||35||0||6||0||1||0||12||0||54||0
|-
|2009–10||34||0||2||0||0||0||6||0||42||0
|-
|2010-11||38||0||3||0||0||0||9||0||50||0
|-
|2011–12||10||0||0||0||2||0||4||0||16||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Chelsea total
!232!!0!!18!!0!!10!!0!!66!!0!!326!!0
|-
356||0||18||0||10||0||78||0||462||0
.
Not including appearances in the 2005/06, 2007/08, 2009/10 Community Shield.
International career statistics
|-|2002||7||0
|-
|2003||8||0
|-
|2004||13||0
|-
|2005||10||0
|-
|2006||10||0
|-
|2007||8||0
|-
|2008||9||0
|-
|2009||7||0
|-
|2010||6||0
|-
|2011||1||0
|-
!Total||79||0
|}
Honours
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
- FA Premier LeagueFA Premier LeagueThe Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
: 2004–05FA Premier League 2004-05The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....
, 2005–06FA Premier League 2005-06The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...
, 2009–10 - FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
: 20072007 FA Cup FinalThe 2007 FA Cup Final was played on Saturday, 19 May 2007 between Chelsea and Manchester United, who had come up against Premier League opposition in every round. It was the 126th FA Cup Final and the first to be played at the new Wembley Stadium...
, 20092009 FA Cup FinalThe 2009 FA Cup Final was the 128th final of the world's oldest domestic football cup competition, the FA Cup. The final was played at Wembley Stadium in London on 30 May 2009 and marked the third time that the final has been staged at the stadium since it was rebuilt...
, 20102010 FA Cup FinalThe 2010 FA Cup Final was the 129th final of the FA Cup, the world's oldest domestic football cup competition. The match took place on 15 May 2010, at Wembley Stadium, London... - FA Community ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
: 20052005 FA Community ShieldThe 2005 FA Community Shield was a football match held at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, on 7 August 2005. It contested by Arsenal, who were FA Cup winners in 2005, and Chelsea, who won the 2004–05 Premier League. Chelsea won the match 2–1....
, 20092009 FA Community ShieldThe 2009 FA Community Shield was the 87th FA Community Shield, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's Premier League and FA Cup competitions... - Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
: 2005, 20072007 Football League Cup FinalThe 2007 Carling Cup Final was played on Sunday, 25 February 2007 at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. It was contested between Arsenal and Chelsea, making it the first all-London final in the competition's history; the two sides had previously met in Cardiff for the 2002 FA Cup Final. The game... - Premier League Asia TrophyPremier League Asia TrophyThe Premier League Asia Trophy is a friendly four-team pre-season football tournament held in Asia every two years. The competition is contested by three Premier League football clubs and the home team...
: 20112011 Barclays Asia Trophy- Third-place playoff :- Final :-Ticket sales:Ticket prices for each match day in Hong Kong dollars were: $130 , $210 , $270 , $330 , $460 ....
International
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
- 2002 UEFA U21 Championship
Individual
Individual
An individual is a person or any specific object or thing in a collection. Individuality is the state or quality of being an individual; a person separate from other persons and possessing his or her own needs, goals, and desires. Being self expressive...
- Best Goalkeeper of French League: 2003–04
- PFA Team of the YearPFA Team of the YearThe Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year is an annual award given to a set of 44 footballers in the top four tiers of English football; the Premier League, the Championship, League One and League Two, whom are seen to be deserving of being named in a "Team of the Year".The award...
: 2005 - IFFHS World's Best GoalkeeperIFFHS World's Best GoalkeeperThe IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper is a football award given annually since 1987 to the most outstanding goalkeeper as voted by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics . The votes, in 1996, were cast by IFFHS's editorial staff as well as experts from 89 countries spanning six...
: 2005, 2011 - Barclays Golden GloveBarclays Golden GloveThe Barclays Golden Glove is an annual association football award that is won by the goalkeeper who has kept the most clean sheets in that season's Barclays Premier League. It was formerly called the Barclaycard Golden Glove....
: 2004–05, 2009–10 - FA Premier League Player of the Month: March 2007
- Czech Footballer of the YearCzech Footballer of the YearThe Czech Footballer of the Year is awarded in the Czech Republic by the Football Association of the Czech Republic . Eligible are Czech players in the Czech Republic and abroad...
: 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010 - Golden Ball (Czech)Golden Ball (Czech Republic)The Golden Ball is awarded in the Czech Republic by a poll of Czech sport journalists from the Club of Sport Journalists . Eligible are Czech players in the Czech Republic and abroad. Awards for young player and coach of the year are also awarded...
: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010. - UEFA Best European GoalkeeperBest European GoalkeeperThe Best European Goalkeeper award is a football award given annually since 1990 to the most outstanding Goalkeeper in Europe, as voted by the UEFA magazine, in 2009 the ESM become the donor of the award .- List of winners :*1990 – Walter Zenga...
: 2005, 2007 - UEFA Club Football AwardsUEFA Club Football AwardsThe UEFA Club Football Awards are awards given by UEFA to the most outstanding performers of the European club football season. The awards were presented in August each year at a special gala in Monaco ahead of the UEFA Super Cup. Since 2005, the awards are presented at the UEFA Champions League draw...
Best Goalkeeper:2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 - ESM Team of the Year: 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08
- World Football ChallengeWorld Football ChallengeThe 2009 World Football Challenge is the first World Football Challenge event, an exhibition international club football competition featuring football clubs from Europe and North America, which has been held first in summer of 2009. Chelsea F.C...
: 2009 - Chelsea Player of the Year 2010-2011
- Chelsea Special Achievement Award: Awarded for making it back against the odds from a serious head injury sustained against Reading F.C. in October 2006