Tomas Rosicky once said that signing Petr Cech would be a "great signing" for Arsenal. Cech and Rosicky are friends as they both play for the Czech Republic national team. Both are centurions, and have been seen as two of the best players the country has ever produced. Does this mean that when the transfer of Cech is complete, Arsenal will have the two best ever Czech internationals?
Cech and Rosicky have both had long, successful international careers
Cech was first called up to the Czech national team as a 20-year-old in 2002, Rosicky was called up two years earlier in 2000 at the age of 19. Since then, both players have become a group of only three players, including themselves, to be capped 100 or more by the national team. Cech is only two caps away from equalling the record of 116 set by Poborsky.
Both players have also captained the national team, Tomas Rosicky has been captain of the team since 2006. Leading any team as captain is a huge achievement, but leading your national team as captain for nine years is an achievement that should be remembered. Rosicky is the fourth highest goal scorer in the country's history, but his tally of 22 goals is some way off the record of 55 goals set by Jans Koller.
Cech and Rosicky have also been successful in their cub careers. Rosicky won the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund and two FA Cups with Arsenal, he has also made over 100 league appearances for both clubs.
Petr Cech's career has been trophy ladden, winning four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups, a Europa League and a Champions League at Chelsea. That averages at around one trophy a year during his time in London. He is also their sixth highest appearance holder, making over 400 appearances for the Blues.
Both Cech and Rosicky are highly regarded in their country, they have won the Czech Footballer of the Year Award nine times between them. Rosicky has won the award three times, with Cech winning it an unprecedented six times.
Cech also holds the record for most wins in the Czech Republic's other biggest football award, the Golden Ball, having won it eight times in nine years. Rosicky has won the award once, during his days at Borussia Dortmund.
Only Ballon d'Or winner Nedved could challenge Cech and Rosicky
Cech leads the way in both those awards, but just behind him is a certain ex-Czech Republic captain who is seen by many as the best player ever produced the country. The first Czech player to win the Ballon d'Or since the breakup of Czechoslovakia, Pavel Nedved is seen as one of the best of his generation.
A loser in Champions League, UEFA Cup and Euro 1996 finals, Nedved beat Theirry Henry to the Ballon d'Or in 2003. Despite making fewer appearances than both Rosicky and Cech and scoring fewer goals than the Arsenal midfielder, the ex-Juventus playmaker could be seen as the better international. He was an integral part of the Czech team that lost to Germany in the final of Euro 1996 at Wembley and captained the Czech Republic to the Euro 2004 semi-final, where they lost to eventual champions Greece in extra time.
Nedved was a player who could be seen as performing more of his clubs than his country, but he is still a great international. Three players who can be seen the opposite of Nedved, performing for country over club, are the Czech Republc's most capped player and highest scorer.
Karel Poborsky and Jans Koller hold each award respectively, with Poborsky making 116 appearances and Koller scoring 55 goals for his country. Neither excelled at club level, Poborsky spent two years at Manchester United while Koller had a six year spell at German outfit Borussia Dortmund.
Petr Cech is two appearances from equalling Poborsky's record, and he is likely to do it. This would most probably make Cech the best player in his country's history. Koller's record is nowhere near being broken, Rosicky is the closest current player to breaking the record, but he needs to score 33 goals.
Cech and Rosicky have performed for club and country
Poborsky and Koller both did it internationally, but to be seen as one of the best players in a country's history you need to do it on a club level too. That's why Cech and Rosicky, especially the former, are seen as the best players to come from the Czech Republic. They've performed for both club and country.
Nedved may be the most technically gifted player to come out of the country since the collapse of communism, but few can argue that Cech and Rosicky are two of the best Czech footballers of all time as well.
