Petr Cech, a Premier League legend, has announced he will retire at the end of the season.
The 36-year-old joined Arsenal from Chelsea in 2015 and has decided to bring down the curtain on a glittering career that began in 1999.
“This is my 20th season as a professional player and it is 20 years since I signed my first professional contract, so it feels like the right time to announce that I will retire at the end of this season,” he said.
“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 life holds for me off the pitch.”
Following the announcement, 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.”
Chelsea, meanwhile, called him a champion “on and off the pitch”.
It was at Stamford Bridge when his career really took off, joining the club in 2004 ahead of Jose Mourinho’s first season in charge.
At Chelsea he won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and Europa League in addition to keeping a host of clean sheets – during the 2004/05 season he managed an incredible 24.
And here, talkSPORT.com looks at how many he has kept in total in comparison to other Premier League greats.
5. Nigel Martyn (Crystal Palace, Leeds, and Everton) kept 137 Premier League clean sheets
4. David Seaman (Arsenal and Manchester City) kept 140 Premier League clean sheets
3. Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough, Fulham, Chelsea, and Leicester) kept 151 Premier League clean sheets
2. David James (Liverpool, Aston Villa, West Ham, Man City, and Portsmouth) kept 169 Premier League clean sheets
1. Petr Cech (Chelsea and Arsenal) kept 202 Premier League clean sheets
All stats courtesy of Opta
