PETR CECH has opened up on the traumatic head injury that changed his life, and the Premier League, forever – and remarkably for the better.
On October 14, 2006, goalkeeper was in goal during the peak of ‘s first stint at the club, when the then 24-year-old collided with Reading’s Stephen Hunt in the first minute of the game.
The Czech goalkeeper did not stand back up following the collision at the Madejski Stadium before he was rushed to the Radcliffe Infirmary’s specialist neuro-surgical unit in Oxford that night and underwent surgery for a depressed fracture of the skull.
Surgeons inserted two titanium plates into his head during the emergency surgery.
Cech would return just 98 days after his ordeal to continue his trophy-laden career, but he would never appear on the pitch the same as he wore a headguard until he retired in 2019.
in England also saw some everlasting changes from the incident, including dedicated pitchside emergency medical teams with neurotrauma training, ambulances on-site exclusively for players and match officials, and standardized, immediate assessment protocols for suspected head trauma and concussions.
And two decades on, the 44-year-old has marked the occasion with a candid statement on his page.
The Prem icon said: “Yesterday it was 20 years since the ‘famous’ Reading away game. I kept this post for today as everyone seemed to be talking about it yesterday.
“It is undeniably the day that greatly impacted the Premier League, football fans, my closest and of course myself. After 20 years there are many ways to look at it but let’s put the whole story into perspective..
“The recovery was hard at the beginning and I had big doubts sometimes, I would return to playing, but I have learnt some valuable lessons along the journey.”
Cech spoke about the lessons he learned from the experience, including living everyday with purpose, and expressed how privileged he felt to be a football player.
He added: “The iconic helmet was born. The Premier League changed the rules around the player’s medical safety and the paramedics were present attended every game ever since (and saved many lives in the process).
“To conclude my thoughts, I would like to say thank you again to the medical teams and the Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for giving me the chance to live and allowing me to carry on playing the game I loved, break some records and made millions of fans happy through winning trophies.. and the most precious part – I could become a father.
“So people remember that even in difficult moments you can find hidden gems that are worth every effort.”
Cech has two children who have both taken up football in ‘s academy.
The first is a defender who has represented the Under-17 national team, and his second is 16-year-old son Damian, who is a goalkeeper also in the Cottagers academy.
Both of Cech’s children were born to his ex-wife, Martina, whom he had been with for
Cech concluded by mentioning the player he collided with on that fateful day, saying: “We agreed not to talk about it too much and leave it behind us.. we keep the word. Wish you all the best. Big Pete.”
