A life-changing head injury 20 years ago left Petr Cech with a fractured skull that required emergency surgery in a specialist brain injury unit and left him with no memory of the incident.
Petr Cech has marked the 20th anniversary of his fatal head injury by paying tribute to the paramedics who helped save his life with their swift action. One of the Premier League’s greatest goalkeepers has made a heartbreaking statement, two decades after the incident that took place at Chelsea against Reading.
At such a career-defining moment, Czech was 24 years old. After colliding with Stephen Hunt, he took a knee and collapsed on the pitch.
It took a few minutes for the Czech to take off. After receiving treatment, he was referred to a specialized neurosurgery department.
The goalkeeper underwent surgery due to a depression fracture of the skull. Cech will return in three months to resume his career wearing his trademark protective headgear.
Thinking about the doctors who saved his life, as well as the rule changes that took place after the incident, he wrote on the social network: “Yesterday, 20 years passed since the “famous” away game “Okuma”. Yesterday, it seemed like everyone was talking about it, I saved this post for today.
“It’s certainly a day that has had a huge impact on the Premier League, football fans, those closest to me and of course myself. There are many ways to look at it 20 years on, but let’s put the whole story into perspective…
“Recovery was difficult at the beginning and at times I had serious doubts that I would ever return to play, but I learned some valuable lessons along the journey.”
Cech went on to reflect on how the experience increased his appreciation for football and reinforced the fragility of life. He also emphasized the positive impact of the brain training he received after the incident.
The Chelsea legend added: “The iconic helmet was born. The Premier League changed the rules on player medical safety and medics have attended every game since then (and saved many lives in the process).
“To conclude, I would like to thank the medical team and the Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford once again for giving me the chance to live and continue to play the game I love, break some records and make millions of fans happy by winning trophies… and the most precious part – being a father.”
Cech also referred to Hunt at the end, revealing they never discussed the incident after they embraced after a match at Stamford Bridge.
“We agreed not to talk too much about it and not put it behind us … we keep our word,” he concluded.
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