Former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Čech has announced that he and his wife, Martina, are separating after 26 years together.
The 43-year-old football legend shared the emotional news on his Instagram story on Thursday, posting a black-and-white photograph of Martina kissing him on the cheek.
In his heartfelt statement, Čech wrote:
“Martina and I are saddened to share that we are separating after 26 years together. We remain best friends and are incredibly proud of our two children.”
The couple’s love story began in 1999 when they met as teenagers. They married in 2003 and went on to have two children — daughter Adela, 17, and son Damian, 16.
Čech once famously missed Adela’s birth in January 2008 while away with Chelsea for a League Cup semi-final against Everton — a match in which he did not play.
Over a glittering career, Čech became one of the Premier League’s greatest goalkeepers. Joining Chelsea from Rennes in 2004 for £7 million, he made 494 appearances for the Blues, winning four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, the UEFA Champions League in 2012, and the Europa League in 2013.
In 2015, he crossed London to join Arsenal, where he added another FA Cup before retiring from professional football in 2019.
Since hanging up his gloves, Čech has pursued a second sporting career as an ice hockey goalkeeper and worked as Chelsea’s technical and performance advisor until 2022, leaving the role after Todd Boehly’s takeover of the club.