Goalkeeper Profiles: Petr Cech

Chelsea shot-stopper Petr Cech is one of the most respected keepers in the game and at 27-years-old he has plenty of time, perhaps even another decade, to cement himself as one of the true goalkeeping legends.Cech started his career in his native Czech Republic with Blšany before moving to Sparta Prague.  He spent just one season with Sparta before moving to French outfit Rennes.  After two years with the Ligue 1 club he was signed by then Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri for a fee of £7million, the highest fee Chelsea had ever paid for a keeper.  It was at Stamford Bridge where Cech really began to stand out as a top talent and has earned many plaudits in his time in London.

It could have been oh so different for Cech, he was originally bought as an understudy to Italian custodian Carlo Cudicini but an injury to Cudicini meant he started Chelsea’s first game of the season.  He impressed in his Premier League debut by keeping Manchester United at bay as Chelsea recorded a 1-0 victory.  Cech’s performances kept him as Chelsea’s number one until he suffered a horrific head injury.

In the first minute of a match between Chelsea and Reading at the latter’s Madjeski Stadium in 2006 Cech and Reading’s Stephen Hunt both challenged for a ball in the penalty area.  Hunt’s knee made contact with Cech’s head and the keeper was knocked unconcious, it was later revealed he suffered a fractured skull and the injury nearly cost him his life.

The Czech ace was out of the game for just over four months, far less than the year or so it was initially thought he would be sidelined for.  Chelsea lost Cech’s first game back 2-0 to Liverpool but he then went over 800 minutes without conceding a league goal, at the time a record.  Cech returned wearing a rugby-style head guard and has continued to do so ever since – and you can hardly blame the guy really, the injury nearly killed him!

Cech has had periods of ‘dodgy form’ over the last two seasons but is still highly regarded and a difficult man to pass between the posts.  His commitment and desire have never been questioned and Cech showed himself to be a model professional by returning from injury. 

In his time with Chelsea he has won seven trophies (two league titles, two FA Cups, two League Cups and a Community Shield) as well as winning numerous individual titles (such as UEFA Best European Goalkeeper on three separate occasions). 

He appeared for his country 67 times and counting, he is the Czech national teams first choice keeper, and is highly regarded world-wide.  Along with Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Edwin Van der Sar (Manchester United) and Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) Petr Cech is one of the world’s best and at 27 he still has many years to continue to prove himself.

Gareth Freeman writes for Betfair, the world’s best betting exchange. Get the latest insider scoop on all your favorite leagues at Betfair today!