Former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Čech has revealed that he and his wife, Martina were going their separate ways after 26 years of marriage.
The 43-year-old football icon shared this news through an emotional Instagram post featuring a black-and-white picture of Martina kissing him.
“Martina and myself are sad to announce that we are separating after 26 years together,” Čech wrote. “We remain best friends and immensely proud of our two children.”
The couple, who met as teenagers in 1999 and married in June 2003, have two children, Adela, 17, and Damian, 16.
Adela, a defender, plays for the Czech Republic’s Under-17 national team.
In January 2008, Čech missed her birth as he was away with Chelsea for a League Cup semi-final against Everton, a match he did not feature.
Damian has recently signed his first professional contract with Fulham as a goalkeeper, following in his father’s footsteps.
Petr Čech had a remarkable football career, joining Chelsea from Rennes in 2004 for £7 million. Over his time with the club, he made 494 appearances and secured four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, and the UEFA Champions League in 2012.
In 2015, he transferred to Arsenal, where he added another FA Cup to his achievements before retiring in 2019.
After retiring from football, Čech pursued ice hockey as a goalkeeper and formerly held the position of technical and performance advisor at Chelsea, a role he vacated in 2022 after Todd Boehly’s takeover of the club.
