Petr Cech’s Retirement Marks End of one of Most Successful PL Figures

It’s near on impossible to sum up a man with such an illustrious career in just one match, but Petr Cech’s performance at the Allianz Arena in the 2012 Champions League final may just be the perfect epitome of his career; the career of one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League era.

Spending eight hours and nine minutes studying tapes of Bayern Munich’s previous penalties ahead of the clash, Cech, with goalkeeping coach Christophe Lolichon, watched players of unrivalled reputation step up to the plate, meticulously analysing every penalty taken over the last five years and determining the course of their actions should it come down to it.

And sure enough, it did.

Didier Drogba’s last-gasp equaliser in normal time would take the game into an additional, nail-biting thirty minutes, with Cech pulling off a majestic penalty-save in extra-time to deny Arjen Robben leading Bayern to victory.

The heroics were still to come though; the then 29-year-old’s research the morning of the night before would bear fruit as the Czech international went the right way for each of Bayern’s five penalties.

Providing a textbook guide on ‘how to save a penalty, by Petr Cech’, that night offered the perfect summation of his quality: a performance made of grit and steel, concentration and composure, nerve and nous.

Arriving in England in July 2004 from French outfit Rennes, he became the foundation for Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea in the golden years. An invariably reliable figure, he was the Czech Republic’s most capped player with 124 appearances, confident with the ball at his feet with the vocal authority needed to make it at the very top.

Indeed, that’s exactly what he did, setting a club record of 228 clean sheets in all competitions, beating the previous record of 208 set by former-England international Peter Bonetti in the years 1960-1979. To offer further perspective on his achievements, his tally of 202 Premier League clean sheets is almost an entire campaign higher than his closest competitor.

Cech would go on to win 13 major honours at Stamford Bridge including one Champions League and four Premier League titles over his 11-year stay. He even picked up a skullcap for his troubles following a nasty collision with Reading’s Stephen Hunt in October 2006, suffering a skull fracture. Now akin to a badge of honour, returning to the field just three months later despite sustaining life-threatening injuries was a true tale of bravery.

However, like all good fairy tales, his story with Chelsea did eventually come to its end in 2015 due to the growing influence of Thibaut Courtois, who would go on to establish himself as No.1.

Where one chapter closed, another began.

Joining Arsenal in 2017 with Roman Abramovich’s personal blessing such was his momentous reputation at the Bridge, Cech would yield an FA Cup and a further 40 league clean sheets. The 36-year-old has become one of the most distinguished and well-respected figures within the game, priding himself on professionalism both on and off the field to the admiration of many.

However, since October of the current 2018/19 campaign, Cech has found himself behind Bernd Leno in the pecking order, making just twelve appearances for Arsenal this season. He is yet to feature in the Premier League since going off injured in the win over Watford back on September 29, reflecting his declining influence in Unai Emery’s long-term vision for the club.

Sadly, Friday’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup ensured the final, which takes place on May 19 – the day before Cech turns 37 – won’t feature the 20-year veteran, leaving all hopes of a last piece of silverware resting on Arsenal’s Europa League campaign.

Given the European heavyweights still in the competition, including Petr Cech’s former-club, it’s unlikely he’ll get the final fairy-tale moment his career deserves before his retirement at the end of the season.

A campaign that’s set to bring the curtains down on the career of one of the greats, Cech will forever go down as one of the most successful figures of the Premier League era.