The former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper played more than half his career in protective headgear after his skull was fractured
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Petr Cech says he has no memory of the horrific head injury he suffered in 2008 that forced him to wear protective headgear for more than half of his career - and that that fact probably played to his advantage.
Cech was caught in the head by Stephen Hunt's knee in an October 2006 Premier League clash with Reading at the Madejski Stadium and required emergency surgery for a depressed skull fracture that doctors later revealed had nearly killed him.
After ten days in hospital, Cech returned him, and three months later made his return to action against Liverpool, wearing his now-distinctive headgear.
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Petr Cech: "If you don't remember, you don't have flashbacks"
"The last memory I have that day [against Reading] is the handshake," Cech told FourFourTwo. "I thought I remembered the surroundings of the stadium, the dressing room, but when we went back in 2007 I didn’t recognise a thing. It was like I’d never been there.
"I have no recollection of the actual incident, either. That has probably been to my advantage, as if you don’t remember, you don’t have flashbacks when you’re on the pitch. Afterwards, I never had any problems diving at people’s feet or going into one-on-one situations – I just played as if the injury had never happened.
"Maybe that’s a part of the reason why I was never scared about coming back: because I don’t really remember anything."
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Cech before having to wear head protection (Image credit: Getty Images)
"Ahead of the Liverpool game, I think I’d had only two training sessions with the team. Up until that point, I was training on my own because I couldn’t risk a collision.
"I think I’d been cleared by the surgeon to start training again a couple of days beforehand, but I’d trained so hard on my own for the last month that I felt on top of my game.
"I’d been advised to take time off and wait until the end of the season, then go again from pre-season. But I said I felt ready, the surgeon cleared me, and the club were like, 'OK, if that’s what you want to do, then let’s go'.
Cech's headguard became synonymous (Image credit: Alamy)
"I think it would have been far more comfortable playing without the headguard, because your senses are covered – your hair and skin receptors, your ears. But if I got hit again, there was a big chance that I would suffer another break, so I couldn’t risk that.
"After such a big trauma on your brain, you’re also prone to concussions. I had some concussions playing with the headguard, so I can’t imagine what it would have been like not to wear it.
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
