Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has given an exclusive interview to Italian website TuttoMercatoWeb this Thursday. He’s spoken during the Champions League draw in Monaco.
The 37-year-old, who now has the role of technical and performance advisor at the club, has talked about retirement and this new job ahead of him.
First talking about how much he misses playing, Cech told TuttoMercatoWeb:Â “Of course I miss it, I used to be on the pitch and play. Now I can just sit in the stands watching the games, I can’t help the team unless I urge it from afar. It’s something new to me and I have yet to learn. In short, I miss football, but I know the reasons why I decided to stop”.
He was also asked about the ‘first impressions’ of his new job, but his answer makes it pretty clear that he’s been still adapting to it.
“It’s very different, but when I made the decision to retire, I immediately started thinking about my future and preparing myself for every eventuality. Then when this opportunity came, I jumped at it, it’s something intriguing for me because I wanted to continue to work in football, albeit in a different way. I’m now in a learning stage, but for now everything is going as expected.”
Since leaving Rennes for Chelsea in 2004, Cech never left the Premier League. He’s switched the Blues for Arsenal in 2015, and didn’t even need to move from London.
That’s why Tutto Mercato Web asked him if there was never a chance to play in Italy, but the former goalkeeper claims it was never in his plans to leave England.
“I have always played in the Premier League, Chelsea and Arsenal. I consider it the best league in the world and I always wanted to stay there, which is also why I never had the opportunity to go to Italy.”
“Has Nedved never advised me to come? The Serie A is one of the best leagues and Nedved has made a fantastic career with Juventus, but I thought of myself and I’ve always chosen the Premier League “.
