77 Facts About Petr Cech

1.

Petr Cech is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

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2.

Petr Cech plays semi-professional ice hockey as a goaltender for Guildford Phoenix.

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3.

At age 19, Petr Cech became a first team regular, and his single campaign with the club saw him register a league record of not conceding a goal in 903 competitive minutes.

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4.

Petr Cech helped the club win four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, one UEFA Champions League title, and one UEFA Europa League title.

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5.

Petr Cech holds Chelsea's all-time record for clean sheets, with 228.

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6.

Czech international, Petr Cech made his debut with the Czech Republic in 2002, and is the most capped player in the history of the Czech national team, with 124 caps.

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7.

Petr Cech represented his country at the 2006 World Cup, as well as the 2004,2008,2012, and 2016 European Championships.

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8.

Petr Cech was voted into the Euro 2004 All-Star team after helping the Czechs reach the semi-finals, and served as the team's captain, prior to retiring from international competition in 2016.

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9.

Petr Cech holds the record for the most Czech Footballer of the Year and Czech Golden Ball wins.

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10.

Petr Cech holds a number of goalkeeping records, including the Premier League record for fewest appearances required to reach 100 clean sheets, having done so in 180 appearances, the most clean sheets in a season, as well as the record for the most clean sheets in Premier League history.

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11.

Petr Cech has the third-most clean sheets since 2000 among all goalkeepers.

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12.

Petr Cech started playing football aged seven for Skoda Plzen.

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13.

In November 2001, Petr Cech broke the record formerly held by Theodor Reimann for the longest time elapsed without conceding a goal in the Czech professional league, stretching his run to 855 minutes.

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14.

Petr Cech signed a five-year contract, to commence in July 2004, becoming the most expensive goalkeeper in Chelsea's history at that time.

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15.

Petr Cech's was one of many British club transfers that came under the spotlight in the 2006 football corruption investigation for being potentially in breach of transfer regulations.

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16.

When Petr Cech arrived at Chelsea, Carlo Cudicini was already established as Chelsea's first choice goalkeeper.

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17.

On 5 March 2005, Petr Cech set a new Premier League record of 1,025 minutes without letting in a goal, though his record was later broken by Manchester United's Edwin van der Sar.

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18.

Petr Cech 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.

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19.

In February 2006, Petr Cech signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2010.

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20.

Petr Cech was named the Czech Footballer of the Year for the first time.

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21.

Petr Cech underwent minor shoulder surgery on 27 June 2006 to repair a long-standing injury stemming from the previous season.

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22.

Petr Cech sustained a head injury in the match against Reading at the Madejski Stadium on 14 October 2006 when he collided with Reading midfielder Stephen Hunt inside Chelsea's penalty area within the first minute of a Premier League match.

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23.

Petr Cech was taken off after several minutes and replaced by Carlo Cudicini, who himself was knocked unconscious later in the same game, forcing Chelsea captain John Terry to play in goal for the match's remaining minutes.

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24.

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho blamed Hunt for Petr Cech's injury, saying that his challenge was "a disgrace".

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25.

Petr Cech criticised the South Central Ambulance Service and match referee Mike Riley.

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26.

Petr Cech was able to return home on 24 October 2006 and participated in light training the following week.

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27.

The matter was resolved after the latter sponsor developed its own headgear for Petr Cech to wear in club matches, while the player went on to wear an unbranded cap for national team games.

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28.

On 11 April 2007, Petr Cech was awarded the Premier League Player of the Month for the first time in his career, in recognition of his eight successive league clean sheets.

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29.

Petr Cech was the first goalkeeper to receive the award since Tim Flowers in 2000.

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30.

Petr Cech kept a clean sheet for Chelsea in the 2007 FA Cup Final against Manchester United.

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31.

Chelsea suffered their first major blow when they lost the League Cup final to Tottenham Hotspur, with Petr Cech parrying the ball onto Jonathan Woodgate's head for the winner.

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32.

Petr Cech played in several games until injuring his ankle in training on the eve of Chelsea's home Champions League tie with Greek champions Olympiacos.

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33.

On 7 April 2008, it was announced that Petr Cech had undergone emergency surgery on his chin and lips following an accidental collision with Tal Ben Haim during training.

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34.

Petr Cech appeared in the Champions League final against Manchester United, where Chelsea lost in a penalty shoot-out.

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35.

Petr Cech signed a new five-year contract in July 2008 to keep him at Chelsea until 2013.

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36.

Petr Cech kept a clean sheet in the next game against Barcelona during the Champions League semi-final first leg match.

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37.

Petr Cech denied the claims saying that he was "disappointed with [Scolari] because never in my life have I had a personal goalkeeping coach".

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38.

Petr Cech kept goal for Chelsea in the six-match winning run that opened their season and placed them on top of the Premier League.

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39.

On 26 September 2009 Petr Cech was sent off and at the same time conceded the winning penalty for a trip on Wigan forward Hugo Rodallega, in the defeat that broke the run and conceded the lead in the league to Manchester United.

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40.

On 27 February 2010, Petr Cech sustained a calf injury in the Champions League match against Inter Milan.

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41.

Petr Cech won his second Premier League Golden Glove award for the season, having kept 17 clean sheets in the Premier League as Chelsea secured a third title.

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42.

Petr Cech concluded his season by saving a Kevin-Prince Boateng penalty against Portsmouth in the FA Cup final, ensuring that the Blues went on to retain the Cup and achieve their first domestic double.

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43.

On 18 August 2011, Petr Cech was ruled out for up to four weeks after he sustained a knee injury in training.

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44.

On 27 February, Petr Cech was announced as the Czech Footballer of the Year for 2011, winning the award for the fifth time.

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45.

Petr Cech saved a penalty in extra time against former teammate Arjen Robben, and two penalties in the subsequent penalty shoot-out, of the 2012 Champions League final against Bayern Munich resulting in the first Champions League win for Chelsea.

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46.

Petr Cech was named the Fans' Man of the Match following his heroic performance in goal for The Blues.

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47.

In October 2012, Petr Cech took the captain's armband as regular Chelsea captain John Terry was sidelined with a four-match ban.

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48.

Petr Cech became the fourth goalkeeper to make a century of appearances in the competition after Iker Casillas, Victor Valdes and Oliver Kahn.

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49.

On 22 April 2014, Petr Cech was substituted in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid with a shoulder injury.

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50.

Petr Cech's move saw him subjected to death threats by a few Chelsea supporters.

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51.

Petr Cech won his fifth FA Cup, and Arsenal became the most successful club in the history of the competition with 13 tournament wins.

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52.

Petr Cech spent much of the final match of his glittering 20-year professional career turning around to retrieve the ball, starting dead-eyed into the row of green seats in front of him, having earlier made a sublime reflex save to deny Giroud.

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53.

On 11 March 2018, Petr Cech became the first Premier League goalkeeper to keep 200 league clean sheets, after a match against Watford in which he saved a penalty from Troy Deeney.

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54.

Petr Cech started the season as the first choice in goal for new manager Unai Emery, but later lost his place to new signing Bernd Leno after suffering a hamstring injury during a match against Watford.

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55.

On 15 January 2019, Petr Cech announced via open letter on Twitter that he would retire at the end of the season.

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56.

Petr Cech first represented his country in November 1997 with the under-15 team, working his way up through different age groups before making his senior debut for the Czech Republic in February 2002.

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57.

Petr Cech first came to prominence as a 20-year-old at the 2002 U-21 European Championships when his penalty shoot-out heroics in the final against France, letting in only one of the penalty kicks, earned the Czech Republic their first title at youth level.

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58.

Petr Cech's saves helped his team progress to the semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Greece on the silver goal rule.

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59.

Petr Cech was named in the all-star team as best goalkeeper at the tournament.

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60.

On 17 October 2007, Petr Cech captained the Czech Republic team in their Euro 2008 Group D qualifier against Germany.

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61.

Petr Cech had a cross slip through his hands, allowing Nihat Kahveci to score Turkey's equalising goal.

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62.

On 29 May 2012, Petr Cech was named in the Czech Republic's squad for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.

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63.

Petr Cech's captaincy continued in the quarter-final, where the Czechs lost to Portugal through a 79th-minute Cristiano Ronaldo goal.

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64.

On 8 July 2016, Petr Cech announced his retirement from international football.

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65.

Petr Cech is the most capped player in the history of the Czech team, with 124 caps.

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66.

In June 2019, Petr Cech returned to former club Chelsea as a technical and performance advisor.

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67.

The club announced that Petr Cech was included as an emergency goalkeeper and as a non-contract player, and that this was a precautionary move due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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68.

Petr Cech made one appearance for the Chelsea's under-23 team in the Premier League 2.

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69.

On 9 October 2019, Petr Cech signed for ice hockey side Guildford Phoenix of the National Ice Hockey League Division 2 as a goaltender.

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70.

Petr Cech chose to wear number 39 jersey in honour of Dominik Hasek.

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71.

Petr Cech said he would continue his role as a technical and performance advisor at Chelsea whilst playing ice hockey in his spare time.

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72.

Petr Cech is considered to be one of the greatest goalkeepers both of his generation and of all time, as well as one of the best keepers in Premier League history, and has earned praise from several players, pundits, and managers due to his goalkeeping ability.

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73.

Petr Cech currently holds two Guinness World Records for the most clean sheets in English Premier League history, and for winning the Premier League Golden Glove Award with two different clubs.

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74.

In 2011, Petr Cech was voted the third best goalkeeper of the first decade of 21st century by IFFHS.

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75.

Petr Cech has the third highest number of clean sheets since 2000s among all goalkeepers.

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76.

Petr Cech was born a triplet along with his sister Sarka and a brother named Michal in Plzen, Czechoslovakia.

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77.

Petr Cech has a YouTube channel under his own name on which he posts video drum covers, including Incubus' "Anna Molly", as well as songs by Coldplay and Foo Fighters.

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