Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has announced his retirement from international football, and has indicated that he took the decision to extend his club career.
The 34-year-old announced his international retirement earlier today after a stellar career with the Czech Republic where he earned 124 international caps for his country.
He made his debut for the Czech Republic in February 2012 and has played in three European Championships and two World Cups and as it turned out his last game was a 2-0 defeat to Turkey last month.
The 34-year-old conceded that he reached a point where he had to take a decision ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, and admits that the decision to retire from international football is with a view to extending his career at club level.
The goalkeeper told Arsenal Player: “I’ve been playing in the national team for 14 years. We always qualified for the big tournaments.
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“I’ve had so many club games to play year-by-year too, and I think I’ve reached the point where I believe that if I want to continue doing things to 100 per cent every day, like I’ve always done, then I will probably need more time to rest and recover.
“This is a purely football-based decision.
"If I want to prolong my career and play at the highest level for as long as I can, then I will probably need to find the balance so that I can continue to do so.”
Arsene Wenger will be hoping that Cech’s retirement will help Arsenal to get the best out of the Czech in the twilight of his career.
Cech has made 42 appearances for the Gunners since joining the club last summer from Chelsea.
