KEY POINTS

  • Petr Cech is one of the best goalkeepers to have graced the English Premier League
  • Cech won the Premier League Golden Glove twice in his career
  • He spent his best years with Chelsea before retiring with Arsenal in 2019

In any sport played, there are players that stand out for various reasons.

You have iconic sights such as Kobe Bryant biting down on his jersey when it’s time to get serious, LeBron James and his chalk toss before the game, John Cena pumping his Reeboks in his younger years and David Beckham with his long sleeves.

Then there’s Petr Cech.

One of the biggest goalkeepers in the English Premier League during his playing years, Cech was also one of the most impressive keepers in the league as he holds many records in England’s top-flight league.

He holds the record for fewest appearances required to reach 100 clean sheets as it only took him 180 appearances to do so--the cleanest sheets in a season with 24 matches--and having the cleanest sheets in Premier League history with 202.

He is also the only goalkeeper to have won the Premier League Golden Glove, an annual award presented to the keeper who has kept the cleanest sheets in the league, with two separate clubs and winning it four times throughout his career (2004-05, 2009-10, 2013-14 and 2015-16).

However, more popular than his great feats is the helmet that he wears in all games.

It was on October 14, 2006, when he collided with the knee of Steven Hunt in a game against Reading leading to a fractured skull.

After spending 10 days in the hospital, his doctors warned him that a second head injury would be fatal.

“I would be more confident if I had it off. [Whether] you like it or not, the helmet affects your surroundings. You have your ears covered and it makes your hearing worse,” revealed Cech in a 2015 interview with Tyden.

“But the doctor has forbidden me to take off the helmet. If I did, I would not pay insurance,” he said jokingly.

He would go on to wear the helmet in his next nine years with Chelsea and ending his career with Arsenal in 2019.

Cech ended his career with the third-most clean sheets among goalkeepers since 2000, and his legendary helmet would go on to become a part of his legacy.

RELATED STORIES