Petr Cech has won everything at club level, but he is still determined to achieve more.
The Czech goalkeeper has lifted four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, the Champions League and Europa League, and is also his country’s most-capped player of all time.
So what is it that keeps Cech motivated?
“When you’re a professional athlete and you’re competing every day, and you’ve competed ever since you’ve started playing at the top level, this competitiveness stays with you in anything you do,” he told the Arsenal Weekly podcast.
“When I go to play tennis, when I go to play golf, if I go ice-hockey training, I try to do my best. It depends if you go to play tennis or if you just go to hit a few balls, but I’m still very competitive.
“I went to play with my friend this summer and we agreed that we weren’t even going to play a set. We were just hitting a few balls and then he came up with the concept of playing to 11 points. If you make an unforced error, then you lose a point, but if you hit a winner you get two points.
“We played for an hour and a half and we couldn’t get to 11 because he didn’t want to lose, I didn’t want to lose, so we ended up with an hour and a half of really competitive rallies. You just can’t help it.
“Anywhere I go and whatever I do during the summer, I do this because these kinds of things relax me and keep me fit, and active as well. I love this active relaxation because this competitive side always stays with me. I always want to do the best I can.”
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