Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has announced he will retire from professional football at the end of the season.
The 36-year-old released a statement on Twitter on Tuesday, revealing he will hang up his gloves when his contract expires in the summer.
He wrote: “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.”
The Czech, who arrived in the Premier League with Chelsea in 2004 and moved to Arsenal in 2015, continued: “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.”
Cech is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Premier League history.
He moved to England in the summer of 2004, joining Chelsea from Rennes in a £7million deal, and went on to win every major honour possible with the Blues.
A four-time Premier League title winner, he also lifted the FA Cup four times, as well as three League Cups, and was a Champions League and Europa League winner with Chelsea.
After 494 appearances for Chelsea, he moved across London to join Arsenal in 2015 for a fee of around £10million.
He has since made 129 appearances for the Gunners and added another FA Cup to his trophy cabinet in 2017.
His glittering career has been all the more remarkable given the serious head injury he suffered in 2006 following a collision with Reading’s Stephen Hunt.
Hunt’s knee crashed into Cech’s head leaving him with a fractured skull, but he returned to action four months later wearing what became his trademark protective headgear.
Cech became the first keeper to keep 200 Premier League clean sheets in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Watford last season, during which he saved a penalty from Troy Deeney.
He is also the Czech Republic’s most capped player, making 124 appearances.
Cech may no longer be first choice at Arsenal with Bernd Leno preferred for the majority of this season so far, but the club were quick to pay their own tribute.
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 @AFC_Foundation, we want to say… Thank you, @PetrCech!”