{"id":6517,"date":"2026-09-30T16:56:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:56:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/footballars.xyz\/?p=6517"},"modified":"2026-09-30T16:56:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T16:56:33","slug":"chelsea-legend-petr-cech-reveals-just-how-bad-his-2006-injury-really-was","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footballars.xyz\/?p=6517","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea legend Petr Cech reveals just how bad his 2006 injury really was"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Club legend Petr Cech\u2019s life changed forever on October 14, 2006 when he suffered a serious injury during Chelsea\u2019s match against Reading, which he feared could have far more serious implications than ending his football career.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A collision with forward Stephen Hunt saw him fracture his skull and rushed off to hospital, and was somehow back in action just three weeks later.<\/p>\n

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Cech\u2019s<\/a> career certainly had a different look to it after this moment. He donned a protective cap for every game he played following the incident.<\/p>\n

Even though there were fears regarding the remainder of his playing career at the time, Cech has actually spoken about the fact he had fears that he wouldn\u2019t be able to function properly again.<\/p>\n

He said to Canal+<\/a>: \u201cI was terribly unlucky that it happened, but at the same time, it was an incredible stroke of luck. It all happened in Reading, a stone\u2019s throw from the neurosurgery clinic in Oxford, considered one of the best in Europe. No, if we were playing on the other side of England, a tragedy could have occurred.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe proximity of the hospital meant I was quickly put on the operating table. At that stage, there was only one goal: to survive first. The doctors saved my life. The first step was taken, but immediately a second important question arose. Fragments of the fractured skull bone had embedded themselves in my brain. The damage occurred on the left side, where the center for speech and motor coordination is located. My mind was racing with thoughts of whether I would speak normally, whether I would be fully functional.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you realise you might be babbling or paralyzed for the rest of your life, you have to pray for a miracle. The beginnings were terrible; my motor skills were failing, my brain wouldn\u2019t cooperate. Small, precise movements. Forget it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was given a board with holes and tiny pegs. I had to grab a peg and put it in the hole. It was the simplest thing in the world, and I couldn\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI sat there devastated. If I can\u2019t put a peg in a hole, how am I supposed to run and throw myself at the feet of attackers? For the first three weeks, any exertion longer than 10 minutes knocked me off my feet. I completely lost my memory. I couldn\u2019t remember a single second of the first three days . People would tell me what happened. I\u2019d fall asleep, and when I woke up, it was a blank slate again.\u201d<\/p>\n

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You can have TWO Man City players, who are you picking and why? \ud83d\udc40<\/h3>\n

Imagine if Man City actually get relegated \ud83d\ude33<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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After Cech had been between the sticks during Chelsea\u2019s legendary 2004\/05 season where they had conceded just 15 Premier League goals, there were fears he was never going to reach those standards again.<\/p>\n

However, what followed was three more Premier League golden glove awards, as well as an induction into the league\u2019s Hall of Fame in 2023.<\/p>\n

The strength of character the former Czech Republic international showed to bounce back from what could have been a life-threatening incident to establish himself as one of the best goalkeepers in Premier League history is remarkable.<\/p>\n

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