Petr Čech
(born 20 May 1982) is a Czech footballer who plays for Chelsea and the
Czech Republic as a goalkeeper. Čech previously played for Viktoria
Plzeň, Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, and Rennes. He was voted into the
all-star team of Euro 2004 after helping his country reach the
semi-finals. Čech also received the individual award of Best Goalkeeper
in the 2004/2005, 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons of the UEFA Champions
League. In addition, he was named in the FIFPro and UEFA Champions
League teams of the season in 2006.
He currently holds the Premier League record for fewest appearances required to reach 100 clean sheets, having done so in 180 league appearances. He also holds a Czech professional league record of not conceding a goal in 855 competitive minutes (he previously held a record for the most clean sheets accomplished in a single Premier League season (25), set during Chelsea’s 2004–05 title-winning campaign). He also has a club record at his former team Sparta Prague, having gone 928 minutes unbeaten in all competitions in 2001–2002, when his unbeaten run in Czech league competition was combined with his performances in the UEFA Champions League. During the 2004–05 season, Čech went 1,025 minutes without conceding a goal — a Premier League record until it was surpassed by Edwin van der Sar of Manchester United on 27 January 2009. Čech also won the Barclays Golden Gloves in both the 2004/2005 and 2009/2010 seasons.
He currently holds the Premier League record for fewest appearances required to reach 100 clean sheets, having done so in 180 league appearances. He also holds a Czech professional league record of not conceding a goal in 855 competitive minutes (he previously held a record for the most clean sheets accomplished in a single Premier League season (25), set during Chelsea’s 2004–05 title-winning campaign). He also has a club record at his former team Sparta Prague, having gone 928 minutes unbeaten in all competitions in 2001–2002, when his unbeaten run in Czech league competition was combined with his performances in the UEFA Champions League. During the 2004–05 season, Čech went 1,025 minutes without conceding a goal — a Premier League record until it was surpassed by Edwin van der Sar of Manchester United on 27 January 2009. Čech also won the Barclays Golden Gloves in both the 2004/2005 and 2009/2010 seasons.
He was recognised by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics as one of Five World's Best Goalkeepers in 2010, along with Iker Casillas, Júlio César, Manuel Neuer, and Maarten Stekelenburg.
