Today is Chelsea legend Petr Cech’s 33rd birthday, and I’m going to celebrate by discussing the goalkeeper’s top five best moments (in no particular order).
15 August 2004… the start of something special
Jose Mourinho became Chelsea boss in 2004, and one of his first signings was Petr Cech. He was brought in for 7 million, and it’s safe to say that the stopper has quadrupled his value since then. To the surprise of many, the then 22-year-old Czech Republic international was directly thrusted into Chelsea’s starting eleven. This controversially came at the expense of fan favourite Carlo Cudicini, who had been voted Premier League goalkeeper of the year just two years prior. Cech was signed that summer and made his debut in the very first match of the season against giants Manchester United. The pressure was on, but Petr kept a clean sheet and hasn’t looked back since.
Cech saves the day in the 2010 FA Cup final
Petr is always up for the big occasions, and the 2010 FA Cup final was no exception. He made a host of great saves, including this one:
Later on, a weak penalty from Boateng was easily dealt with by Cech, and minutes later Didier Drogba netted a wonderful match-winning free kick. This was yet another instance of Big Pete playing a huge role in Chelsea capturing silverware.
Penalty save –
19.05.2012
Does anything really need to be said? Cech was immense for 120 minutes as we held off Bayern Munich’s bombardment. In extra time he was there to save Arjen Robben’s penalty, almost magically preserving the dream of European glory. In a Champions League win that was ‘written in the stars’, this moment was almost divine intervention from powers up above…
Petr then confidently swept aside Olic’s penalty in the shootout and got the slightest ever deflection on Schweinsteiger’s, leading to Didier Drogba’s legendary moment…
Ridiculous stop to keep United at bay in the FA Cup
The save that Cech made in the 61st minute of an FA Cup replay against Manchester United in 2013 is just unforgettable. The ball was placed on a silver platter for Chicharito to send home with a diving header, but from point blank range Petr Cech was somehow able to tip it over the bar. Later on, Demba Ba scored a worldie for the Blues as they progressed into the next round. Take a look at this one:
One for the history books…
Petr Cech has been an unbelievable servant to Chelsea Football Club over the years, and last year he was able to break a record that nobody could have seen him accomplish when he first joined as a 22-year-old. Against Hull in January 2014, Cech achieved his 209th clean sheet, the most for a single keeper at the club. Peter Bonetti, who spent twenty seasons at the club between 1959 and 1979 was the previous holder. Cech was able to break his record in just ten seasons! One word: legend. Happy birthday Petr!
