Official: Arsenal Goalkeeper Petr Cech Announces Decision To Retire At End Of Season

Chris Wright

15th, January 2019

2 Comments

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Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has announced that he intends to retire at the end of the season.

Cech, who will turn 37 in May, issued a statement on social media (before the Gunners could break the news formally) to confirm that his 20-year professional career will come to an end along with the culmination of the 2018/19 campaign.

Having played 15 years in the Premier League and won every single trophy possible, I feel like I have achieved everything I set out to achieve.

I will continue to work hard at Arsenal to hopefully win one more trophy this season.

Then I am looking forward to seeing what holds for me off the pitch.

Of course, Cech’s place as an all-time Premier League great is concrete, but his gradual slowing and difficulties adapting to the new-fangled ‘playing out’ fad have seen him look increasingly antiquated over the past year or so.

Those mid-2000s Chelsea stats are still peerless league records (just 15 goals conceded in 04/05, with a massive 25 clean sheets kept along the way) and are unlikely to be beaten.

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Cech could play on elsewhere, certainly – he’s still a fine goalkeeper in the traditional shot-stopper mould – but if he feels the time is right, then so be it.

After two decades at the coal face, he’s probably earned himself a rest.

Posted in Arsenal, Chelsea

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2 Comments

  1. VieuxSang says:

    Broke my heart when he left Chelsea, but It was the right time to leave. It was pure joy to watch him catch fire just as the Mourinho / Abramovich era had started. It was unfortunate to witness the head injury that led to adjustments and inevitable loss of edge. I’ve always enjoyed his relatively understated nature and high level of work. Maybe he can be a coach or Manager for the Czech team.

  2. David says:

    Well, I guess it is time. Like Casillas – and for quite some time now – he has been just a shadow of what he once was.

    He is no Edwin van der Sar.

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