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‘This is a nightmare’ – Chelsea and Arsenal legend Petr Cech names the one rival he hated facing
Mar 4, 2025
Petr Cech has revealed he feared facing one former opponent more than any other player.
The former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper made 443 Premier League appearances during his career.
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Across those matches, Cech kept 207 clean sheets, with no player scoring more than seven goals against him.
However, the one opponent who did tally seven strikes past the Czech stopper was a 'nightmare' to face, he has revealed.
Cech admitted that Wayne Rooney was 'relentless' in their 27 meetings between 2005 and 2017.
The 42-year-old told Amazon Prime: "Wayne Rooney was the one, like when we played United in the league, he was always the one.
"I was like 'oh, come on, this is a nightmare'. Because he can chip you from the halfway line and he's relentless, he's everywhere.
"He keeps coming, he keeps pressing, and never gives you half a second. So it was always the preparation even from the goalkeeper coach.
"He always said: 'You know we play Rooney, he can do anything'. I said, 'yeah, unfortunately.' I said, 'I can't cheat' because he will see that.
"But there's many ways you can play with people but generally, when you play against the top players, they will always find a way and it becomes challenging.
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"This is what I loved about the Champions League or the Premier League because you play against the best players, and it brings the best out of you as well."
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