Former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Čech has announced that he and his wife, Martina, are parting ways after 26 years together.
The 43-year-old football legend shared the news in an emotional Instagram post featuring a black-and-white image 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 met as teenagers in 1999 and married in June 2003. They have two children, Adela, 17, a defender for the Czech Republic Under-17 national team, and Damian, 16, who recently signed his first professional contract with Fulham as a goalkeeper.
In January 2008, Čech famously missed Adela’s birth while away with Chelsea for a League Cup semi-final against Everton—a match he did not play in.
Čech enjoyed a stellar career after joining Chelsea from Rennes in 2004 for £7 million, making 494 appearances and winning four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, and the UEFA Champions League in 2012. He later moved to Arsenal in 2015, adding another FA Cup before retiring in 2019.
Following his football career, Čech switched to ice hockey as a goalkeeper and also served as Chelsea’s technical and performance advisor, a role he left in 2022 after Todd Boehly’s takeover.
