Petr Cech on childhood dream to emulate Dominik Hasek | OneFootball

Petr Cech always wanted to keep goal on ice like Dominik Hasek, and at 37 in 2019 he finally did. The Champions League winner, polyglot and student outlined his journey in an interview with L'Équipe.

He signed for Guildford Phoenix in 2019, then stepped up with Chelmsford Chieftains and Oxford City Stars, where he made 62 saves from 64 shots. A short stint with the Belfast Giants followed, initially to make up numbers, before he featured in a 5-1 win over Glasgow Clan, becoming the first professional footballer to play an elite hockey match.

Cech learned French at Rennes with a tutor and evening TV, added German and later taught himself Spanish at Chelsea in 2005 using phrases from José Mourinho, a Nintendo DS game called My Coach and a grammar book to communicate with Asier Del Horno.

After retiring he earned an MBA from Longford International College in Ireland and is now pursuing a doctorate remotely at a university in Rome, focused on the sustainability of the Champions League model. Encouraged by his supervisor after excellent results, he expects to finish next summer.

On the pitch he prepared obsessively for the 2012 final, studying five years of Bayern Munich penalties with coach Christophe Lollichon. Chelsea drew 1-1 then won 4-3 on penalties, with Cech saving one and guessing right each time.

A fractured skull at Reading in 2006 led to protective headgear on his return, which he initially disliked because of noise and altered spatial awareness. He adapted, amassing 202 clean sheets in 443 Premier League games, a Guinness World Records entry, and was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2023.

Source: L'Équipe