Former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has announced that he and his wife have separated after 26 years of marriage.
The 43-year-old took to Instagram on Thursday to reveal the news to fans with an emotional statement.
Cech and Martina had been together since they were teenagers and she was by his side throughout his legendary footballing career.
Cech and Martina had been together since they were teenagers and she was by his side throughout his legendary footballing career.
The pair have two children named named Damian (16) and Adela Cechova (17).
Cech made the announcement alongside a black and white picture of himself and Martina in which she is kissing him on the cheek.
He wrote (via Daily Mail): “Martina and myself are sad to announce that we are separating after 26 years together.
“We remain best friends and immensely proud of our two children.”
The Czechs first met in high school in 1999 and went on to marry in the summer of 2003.
Both of their children are attempting to follow in the footsteps of their famous father.
Daughter Adela is a defender and plays for both Fulham and Czechia U17s.
And their son Damian, a goalkeeper just like his dad, signed his first professional contract with the Cottagers earlier this year.
Damian previously played for Chelsea before making the swap from blue to white.
Petr previously told indnes.cz: “I didn’t push my children into football, but they found it anyway. They just live with my name, so they have been the target of comparison since they were young.”
