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Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has announced his retirement from professional football at the end of this season. The 36-year-old goalkeeper joined Arsenal from Chelsea in June 2015.
Cech is one of the most legendary goalkeepers in this era. His career almost came to an end in October 2006 when he sustained a skull fracture after a collision with Stephen Hunt. However, he refused to give up and eventually ended up adding a host of trophies and memories to his sparkling career.
Petr Cech has announced his retirement through a tweet where he stated:
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.
He elaborated:
This is my 20th season as a professional player and it has been 20 years since I signed my first professional contract, so it feels like the right time to announce that I will retire. I am looking forward to seeing what life holds for me off the pitch.
In reply, Arsenal tweeted:
For your consummate professionalism, for being the perfect role model, for the 50 clean sheets, for your honesty, your integrity and for your inspiring work with the Arsenal Foundation, we want to say - thank you Petr Cech.
The shot-stopper was brought to England in 2004 by Chelsea. The iconic goalkeeper has played 559 matches throughout his career while keeping 233 clean sheets. He has earned the most number of clean sheets (202) in the history of the Premier League.
Cech won 4 Premier League titles, the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, 4 FA Cups and three League Cups for the Blues. He has also set a Premier League record for most clean sheets in a single season in 2004-05, when he managed to keep 24 clean sheets for Chelsea.
The veteran signed for Arsenal in Summer 2015. He has made 110 appearances for them. Under Arsene Wenger, he won the FA Cup for Arsenal in 2017. With the Gunners, he won the Golden Glove for 16 clean sheets in the 2015-16 season.
Here are a few Twitter reactions regarding his shock retirement.
