The successes that Chelsea and Arsenal have achieved over the past 15 years have all had one thing in common; the goalkeeper. Petr Cech has played a crucial role in all the success that Chelsea achieved during their dominant end to the ’00s. He was a fundamental part of the early dominance that Jose Mourinho achieved, but what was his crowning moment?
He has announced that this will be his final season as a professional, and one way in which he could spend his spare time is by playing online games such as joining one of these casino sites that he can sign up to. Cech can enjoy all the regular roulette and slot games, as well as online poker with a live casino function.
Debut Season
His £7 million transfer from French outfit Rennes was agreed in February, with the Czech international to move to his new club in the summer on 2004. When he arrived at the club, it was expected that he would take a back seat to the club’s long-standing number one choice Carlo Cudicini. However, an injury to the Italian opened the door for an early chance for Cech.
He certainly didn’t let this chance go to waste, and he naturally fitted into the Chelsea team that went on to win their first top-flight title in 50 years. However, Cech played his role as he only conceded 15 goals over the season, and also won the Premier League Golden Glove. The 21 clean sheets that he kept in this season is a record that will take some beating.
2009-10 Season
Cech was an essential part of the Chelsea team that won the clubs first ever domestic double. He started the season in fine form, by saving two spot-kicks from Ryan Giggs and Patrice Evra in Chelsea’s penalty shootout success against Manchester United in the Community Shield. Chelsea was dominant in the league, and on the 13th April, he kept his 100th clean sheet in the Premier League.
He ended the season by winning his second Premier League Golden Glove honour; having kept 17 clean sheets. After winning the Premier League title, the Blues headed to Wembley to face Portsmouth in the FA Cup final. Cech again played a vital role in their success by saving a penalty in the 54th minute from Kevin-Prince Boating. Just four minutes later Didier Drogba scored the winning goal of the final.
2011-12 Season
While this season was hugely disappointing for the club domestically; it was their European success that Chelsea fans fondly remember. During this season, Cech was also named as the Czech Footballer of the Year for the fifth time in his career. However, that was only a footnote in what was to come.
Chelsea entered the Allianz Arena for the 2012 Champions League final as the massive underdogs against Bayern Munich. After levelling the scoreline and forcing extra time, Cech dramatically saved a penalty from Arjen Robben which forced the match into a penalty shootout. The Chelsea goalkeeper went onto save two spot-kicks in the shootout as the club achieved their first ever Champions League win. Subsequently, he was voted as the fans’ man of the match for his heroic performance. By winning the competition, he became only the fourth Czech international to win the prestigious competition.
