Petr Cech, who is most known for his time at Chelsea, is without a doubt one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation of celebrities, and his vast list of honours lends credence to that claim. However, during his lengthy career of 784 games, even he encountered terrifying talismans.
Among the extensive list of names that the four-time Premier League winner had the annoyance of keeping silent beside his centre defenders are Didier Drogba, Jermain Defoe, and Robin van Persie.
However, he got down with Chelsea’s reporters to discuss his favourite memories of playing for his fiercest opponent while he was on the Stamford Bridge books. Wayne Rooney, a legend of Manchester United and England, was his response to the latter.
Petr Cech waxes poetic about Rooney, saying, “He was very clever and very unpredictable.”
Being selected as the opponent he was most cautious of is a testament to his long career at the top tiers of the beautiful game, and Rooney’s bulldozer-like demeanour wins the prize. “Wayne Rooney,” the former goalie uttered.
When discussing the Englishman’s impact, Cech, who is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Premier League history, pointedly acknowledged his unpredictable nature by stating that he must always be on his guard when playing Rooney.
Because he was so erratic and cunning, I had to stay alert whenever he received the ball throughout every game we played versus United.
He is a man with the ability to run, battle, chase, and shoot with skill. He could try to chip you if you were too high, and he could score from the halfway line’, he added, before continuing, “That was a challenge I enjoyed.”
As a former Czech Republic international with 124 caps, Cech had to face his most dreaded opponent 27 times. Cech had 11 victories, while Rooney had 10 victories. Six of the matches ended in draws.
The bagsman-turned-manager, who was a skilled shot in addition to everything else, scored 10 goals against the formidable Czech in 27 games, from a 2004–05 League Cup semifinal to a 2017–18 Premier League game.
In another statement, the former glovesman for Chelsea and Arsenal maintained that it was nearly difficult to prepare for Rooney because he had the ideal balance of strength, precision, and potency. Using GOAL to communicate with Amazon Prime, he stated:
Wayne Rooney was always the one, even when we played United in the league. “Oh, come on, this is a nightmare!” I exclaimed. He’s everywhere because he’s persistent and can chip you from the midway line.
“He keeps coming, he keeps pressing, and he never gives you half a second,” Cech said in closing. Therefore, even the goalkeeping coach had to prepare. “You know we play Rooney, he can do anything,” he would constantly say. “Yeah, unfortunately,” I replied. “I can’t cheat,” I continued, “because he’ll notice.”
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