Look no further than one night in Munich, and three crucial penalty saves in a Champions League final to find the pinnacle of Petr Cech’s magnificent career.
Cech kept Chelsea in the game that night against Bayern in the Allianz Arena when he foiled Arjen Robben from the spot in extra-time and then he denied Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger in the shootout.
His save from Schweinsteiger, touching it onto a post with fingertips set the scene for Didier Drogba to step forward and win the trophy which had eluded these players so often and so agonisingly over the years.
‘I wanted to score for Petr Cech,’ said Drogba, the next day.
Cech was a popular hero because of his personality and after all he had achieved in his career and his personal ordeal, fighting his way back to the top after the injury which almost ended his life on the pitch.
Not only was he consistently brilliant and a shining example whenever he appeared for Chelsea but he was a sensible, intelligent and mature character in the dressing room.
He was fluent in five languages, mastering Spanish in little more than a month, and always quick to step forward and speak and shoulder the burden of responsibility when it came to media duties. He also liked to play drums.
When he retires as a player at the end of the season, Cech has all the attributes to move into an executive role at a top club. Why not at Stamford Bridge where he is idolised?
Along with Drogba, John Terry and Frank Lampard, he was one of the four main pillars of a truly great team created by Jose Mourinho, bankrolled by Roman Abramovich.
A team which endured and suffered together and adapted until they had been crowned European champions in 2012.
His £7million transfer from Rennes had already been agreed under Claudio Ranieri but the 22-year-old ‘keeper arrived with Mourinho in the summer of 2004 and soon became the goalkeeper behind the Premier League’s meanest defence.
Within a year, Chelsea had won the title for the first time in half a century, a dozen points clear of Arsenal and having conceded only 15 goals in 38 games.
A year later they won it again and Cech was established among the world’s top ‘keepers.
He was never showy. He was commanding in the air and agile enough to make stunning saves yet it was his calm authority and ability to read the danger and organise those in front of him which marked him out.
He was also the ultimate professional, dedicated to his craft and always searching for ways to improve.
As part of his preparation for the Champions League final in 2012, the Chelsea ‘keeper studied footage of every Bayern Munich penalty taken in the previous five years.
He went the right way for all six spot-kicks.
It was October 2006 when Cech suffered a depressed fractured of the skull in a collision with Stephen Hunt during a game at Reading.
Emergency surgery was required to save his life and the fact that he was back in goal by January, wearing the protective headgear which became his trademark, is testament to his courage and determination.
And, as everyone searched for signs that he might not be the same player after his serious injury he proved he could still achieve incredible levels of excellence as he continued to rack up the medals.
Cech won the Double in 2010, the Champions League in 2012 and the Europa League in 2013 but lost his grip on the No.1 spot when Thibaut Courtois was recalled from his extended loan period at Atletico Madrid.
He was mainly used as the back-up ‘keeper as he collected a fourth Premier League title in 2015 before making the transfer across London with Abramovich’s blessing after nine years of service at Stamford Bridge.
In truth, it was never quite the same once he left Chelsea for Arsenal.
Firstly, the defensive unit built by Mourinho and which survived under his successors until his return for a second spell as manager had always offered so much more protection to the goalkeeper than Arsene Wenger’s.
The attacking commitment of Wenger’s teams left their ‘keepers exposed and Cech, who was 33 at the time of his transfer to Arsenal, always seemed a fraction less assured and a little less comfortable.
Cech won the FA Cup for the fifth time in 2017, although he was on the bench as David Ospina was selected to start in the final against Chelsea.
He will retire at the end of the season with an enviable roll of honour.
Four Premier Leagues, five FA Cups, three League Cups, two major European trophies and a record 124 international caps for the Czech Republic.
He was one of the great goalkeepers of the Premier League era and his heroics in Munich will never be forgotten.
source: m.allfootballapp.com/
