Jose Mourinho congratulated Petr Cech for having an “amazing career” following the Arsenal goalkeeper recently announcing his impending retirement.
The two men joined Chelsea in the same year, 2004, when the manager picked Cech as his starting goalkeeper for an opening day 1-0 win over Manchester United.
It was the type of result that would be become customary while the two men were at Chelsea together, as the Czech international would go on to keep a record 202 clean sheets in the Premier League over a long and successful career.
The recently sacked man United manager was, of course, quick to point that it was he who gave Cech his first start in England.
“I am honoured to have been the manager that, at such an early age, gave Petr a top Premier League number one shirt,” Mourinho told Sky Sports.
“After that day, it is all about him. All about his numbers, his performances, his clean sheets, his titles and his professionalism.
“It’s a big loss for football but history can’t be deleted. Many congratulations on such an amazing career.”