Petr Cech recalls how Chelsea teammates helped his memory loss after devastating 2006 head injury

Add as preferred source on Google

Petr Cech’s devastating head injury in 2006 remains one of the most severe to ever happen on a football pitch, and while his return was something of a miracle, many fans weren’t aware of the impact his teammates had.

The Chelsea first-choice goalkeeper suffered a severe skull fracture in the first minute of their Premier League fixture against Reading in 2006, in what remains one of the scariest moments in the club’s history.

Cech had rushed out to close down Stephen Hunt when the winger’s knee collided with the goalkeeper’s head.

Cech underwent emergency surgery after the incident, having two metal plates fitted into his skull, which led to him sporting his trademark helmet for the remainder of his career.

John Terry himself ended up in goal that day after Carlo Cudicini also got hurt against Reading, but it was what the Chelsea squad did after the game that made the biggest impact.

Petr Cech’s Chelsea teammates helped bring his memories back

Due to the impact of the injury to Cech’s head, the primary concern initially had nothing to do with whether he could play football again, but it had to do with his overall health.

That was because the shot-stopper could not remember things correctly, as he revealed to Chelsea’s media team that he could only remember initially going into the hotel room the night before.

“Every time I woke up conscious, the doctor kept asking me the same set of questions, which I kept forgetting the answers to. I would fall asleep again, wake up a couple of hours later, and couldn’t remember anything again.

“The questions were about the time, where I was, if I knew what was going on, that kind of thing. It took about three days of the same set of questions before I could keep them in my memory. That must have been really annoying for everyone around me! They must have explained to me 150 times what had happened, but every time, I couldn’t recall it.

When you don’t remember anything, it’s the strangest thing. When you get asked simple questions, like what’s the time, and you know it’s a simple question, but you can’t answer it, that was a very unique experience. Not in a good way. That stays in my mind.”

Fortunately for Cech, some familiar faces helped to jog his memory, as a visit from his Chelsea teammates played a significant role in making that happen.

“I always remember my wife, who was always next to me there, but I have to say the moment it clicked and a big chunk of memory came back was when the team came to visit. I suddenly remembered the faces, and it kicked in. That was when everything went back to normal.”

Petr Cech didn’t let the injury impact his career

Even though Cech’s injury was devastating, he didn’t allow it to impact his career, as he went on to become a record-breaking goalkeeper in the Premier League.

Cech kept 202 clean sheets throughout his career, across his spells with Chelsea and Arsenal, more than anyone in history, and he’s the only one to pass the 200 threshold.

In addition, Cech still boasts the record for the most clean sheets in a single Premier League season, which was 24 during the 2004-05 campaign.

He also shares a record with Joe Hart for the most Premier League Golden Glove awards, with both men winning four each throughout their careers.

Cech was a reliable star in goal for Chelsea and Arsenal, and the fact that was able to return after his injury and continue working at that level makes it even more impressive.