Peter Cech has agreed to a new five-year contract with Chelsea which will keep him at Stamford Bridge until June 2013.
Despite having endured his most difficult year ever both for club and country, the 26-year-old Czech international is still recognised as one of the very best goalkeepers in the world, and Chelsea are handling him accordingly.
"It is an honour to be at a club like Chelsea and I am very happy to have renewed my contract with them," Cech said after the announcement of the new deal, which was actually completed last week but only made public today.
"Chelsea has grown in my heart, not just because of my team-mates and all the people that work for the club but also because of their fantastic fans."
"I gave my first interview when I arrived at Chelsea in 2004 and I had said that it had been my dream to play for one of the best clubs in the world and in the best league in the world - this came true and I am very pleased my dream will last," he added.
"Personally I have to say I cannot wait for the new season to start. I am confident that it will be a very successful season for all of us."
Though some would say that Cech is no longer the same dominant force between the posts that he was before he suffered that horrific injury in 2006 at Reading, Chelsea clearly are of the belief that his uncharacteristically patchy form since then is purely the result of a naturally occurring dip in form rather than a permanent loss of ability.
In his first season at Stamford Bridge, the 6ft 5in keeper set a record in top-flight English soccer by not allowing a goal in 1,024 minutes and managing a record 21 clean sheets, the most shutouts in a Premier League season, and the Blues are confident that he similar heights are still ahead of him.
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon said: "I think everybody agrees with Scolari's assessment that Petr is the best goalkeeper in the world, so naturally we are very happy he has committed his long term future to us.
"He has been a key player in the club's success in the last four years. He has also shown himself throughout this time to be a top professional and is a great ambassador for the club on and off the field."
"It is an honour to be at a club like Chelsea and I am very happy to have renewed my contract with them," Cech said after the announcement of the new deal, which was actually completed last week but only made public today.
"Chelsea has grown in my heart, not just because of my team-mates and all the people that work for the club but also because of their fantastic fans."
"I gave my first interview when I arrived at Chelsea in 2004 and I had said that it had been my dream to play for one of the best clubs in the world and in the best league in the world - this came true and I am very pleased my dream will last," he added.
"Personally I have to say I cannot wait for the new season to start. I am confident that it will be a very successful season for all of us."
Though some would say that Cech is no longer the same dominant force between the posts that he was before he suffered that horrific injury in 2006 at Reading, Chelsea clearly are of the belief that his uncharacteristically patchy form since then is purely the result of a naturally occurring dip in form rather than a permanent loss of ability.
In his first season at Stamford Bridge, the 6ft 5in keeper set a record in top-flight English soccer by not allowing a goal in 1,024 minutes and managing a record 21 clean sheets, the most shutouts in a Premier League season, and the Blues are confident that he similar heights are still ahead of him.
Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon said: "I think everybody agrees with Scolari's assessment that Petr is the best goalkeeper in the world, so naturally we are very happy he has committed his long term future to us.
"He has been a key player in the club's success in the last four years. He has also shown himself throughout this time to be a top professional and is a great ambassador for the club on and off the field."
