Stars of UEFA EURO 2016: Petr Čech
Friday, March 18, 2016
Article summary
Preparing for his fourth UEFA European Championship, Petr Čech is poised to move ahead of Karel Poborský and become the most-capped Czech Republic player of all time.
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At a glance
Čech made his senior international debut aged 19 in February 2002 and ahead of the March internationals is level with Karel Poborský (118 appearances) as the most-capped Czech player of all time. The former Chelsea goalkeeper broke the English Premier League clean sheet record on 28 December 2015, registering his 170th shutout as Arsenal defeated Bournemouth.
EURO pedigree
This summer's tournament in France will be Čech's fourth EURO. In 2004 he helped his side to the semi-finals – where Greece prevailed thanks to a silver goal – while four years later the Czechs went out at the group stage after Čech conceded twice late on in a 3-2 loss to Turkey that took the Crescent Stars through at their expense. Last time out in Poland and Ukraine, the Czechs succumbed to Portugal in the quarter-finals.
What he offers
Importance for Czech Republic
Čech and Tomáš Rosický are pillars of experience in Pavel Vrba's squad, with the 33-year old Čech often wearing the captain's armband in his club-mate's absence. Čech sets the highest standards on and off the pitch and regularly communicates with fans and the media.
International career
Debut: Czech Republic 2-0 Hungary (12 February 2002, friendly)
Appearances: 118
Goals: 0
EURO final tournament (Czech Republic record)
Appearances: 11 (Karel Poborský, 14)
Goals: 0 (Milan Baroš, 5)
Record: W6 D0 L5
