Former Chelsea legend Petr Čech has announced his separation from his wife, Martina, bringing an end to their 26-year marriage.

The 43-year-old former Czech goalkeeper announced the separation from his wife, Martina, in a heartfelt Instagram post, sharing a picture of the two together and wrote:

“Martina and I are sad to announce that we are separating after 26 years together. We remain best friends and are immensely proud of our two children.”

The couple’s relationship began when they met as teenagers in 1999, and they tied the knot in June 2003 with two children, Adela and Damian.

Their marriage hasn’t been one with controversies in the spotlight, except in January 2008, when Čech missed Adela’s birth while away with Chelsea for a League Cup semi-final against Everton, a match he didn’t even play in.

Adela, 17, plays as a defender for the Czech Republic’s Under-17 side, while Damian, 16, recently signed his first professional deal with Fulham as a goalkeeper, following in his father’s footsteps.

Čech who completed a successful career playing for one of the English Premier League’s biggest sides Chelsea and Arsenal, for his professional career he joined the Blues from Rennes in 2004 for £7 million and made 494 appearances, winning four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, and the UEFA Champions League in 2012. In 2015, he later joined the Gunners, adding another FA Cup before retiring in 2019.

Post-retirement, Čech switched sports to play as an ice hockey goalkeeper and served as Chelsea’s technical and performance advisor until 2022, leaving after American businessman Todd Boehly took over the club.