Petr Cech announced on Tuesday that after playing 20 years of professional football, he's calling time on a glittering career. He spent 15 seasons in the Premier League, playing in goal for both Chelsea and Arsenal. During his time in west London, Cech won everything on offer, including four league titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, the Europa League and of course, the Champions League too. With the Gunners, he added another FA Cup and two more Community Shield wins to his haul - taking his total number of trophies in English football to an impressive 18. Now 36-years-old, Cech will be hanging up his boots in May. Of course, it's unlikely he'll be featuring in too many Arsenal games before then, as Bernd Leno has become the team's new number one. Arguably, the Czech Republic international was already passed his prime when he moved to north London back in 2015, after spending over a decade at Stamford Bridge. And it was for Chelsea that he became a club legend. He made just short of 500 appearances for the Blues and became a huge part of their success under Roman Abramovich. But nothing lasts forever, and by the 2014/15 season, his last for the club, Cech lost his starting place to Thibaut Courtois. 

A CLASSY TRIBUTE

Following Cech's retirement, the man that replaced him between the sticks at Stamford Bridge sent a tweet responding to the news. 

"Thank you, @PetrCech, for your help during my first year in Chelsea. Congratulations on your amazing career," Courtois tweeted. 

"You were an exceptional colleague, friend and example for me personally and for all us, goalkeepers. Good luck in the future!"

A LITTLE IRONIC

It's certainly a classy message to send - but, Chelsea fans can probably point out the irony of his last sentence. 

Courtois talks about following Cech's example. Sadly, he didn't do so when forcing a move to Real Madrid last summer by not returning to training in London.

Still, it's good to see one top goalkeeper paying tribute to another.