Marek Čech

Early career

Born in Trebišov, Čech began his career with Inter Bratislava, where he won a league and cup double in 2000–01. After helping Sparta Prague to the 2004–05 Czech First League, he transferred to Porto on 31 August 2005 in an undisclosed deal. In the 2005–06 season, he was part of Co Adriaanse's triumphant Primeira Liga- and Taça de Portugal-winning Porto team, and also won the league in his two subsequent seasons.

West Bromwich Albion

On 15 July 2008, Čech signed for Premier League club West Bromwich Albion for £1.4 million, on a three-year contract with the option of a fourth. He made his debut the following month, playing in midfield in a 1–0 defeat to Arsenal in the opening match of the 2008–09 Premier League season. Manager Tony Mowbray referred to him as a "model professional" and said that he had brought the player in to create competition for left-back Paul Robinson. However, he was unable to command a regular place in the side, making just 11 appearances all season. Following the departure of Mowbray and the sale of Robinson, Čech established himself as an important member of Roberto Di Matteo's squad. He scored his first two goals for West Brom in a 3–1 win over Plymouth Argyle on 12 September 2009. In May 2011, Čech signed a one-year contract extension with West Brom, along with teammate Roman Bednář.

Later career

On 31 August 2011, Čech signed for Turkish Süper Lig club Trabzonspor, on a three-year deal worth €1 million per…

Čech made his senior international debut for Slovakia on 9 July 2004 at the Kirin Cup in Japan, playing the full 90 minutes of a 3–1 loss to the hosts. He scored his first goal on 8 September 2007 in a 2–2 home draw with the Republic of Ireland in UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying, and added two more on 21 November in a 5–0 win away to San Marino. On 6 June 2009, Čech scored another two goals as the Slovaks won 7–0 at home to the same opponents in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification. Manager Vladimír Weiss named him in the 23-man squad for the final tournament in South Africa, their first tournament as an independent nation. The team reached the last 16, but he played only once, the opening 1–1 draw with New Zealand in Rustenburg, where he lined up against his West Bromwich teammate Chris Wood. He criticised the vuvuzelas in the crowd for making communication difficult.

International

Scores and results list Slovakia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Čech goal.

Čech started playing football at age 8 for Slavia Orlová, whose first team was then in 4th division. In 1990, he moved to Baník Ostrava, where he did not manage to get a place in the senior team, even though he did sign a contract when he turned 18. Two years later, he had to do his military service and spent this year playing for VTJ Hranice. When he came back, he was loaned to second-division teams Frýdek-Místek, NH Ostrava and Fotbal Třinec. In Frýdek-Místek he only got to play three games, only in Ostrava did he become a regular. In early 2001, he was surprisingly sold to Slovak club MŠK Žilina but there he was only the number two. At the start of the 2003/04 season, he was briefly loaned to former club Třinec, then sold to Spartak Trnava. There he had no real concurrence and put up good performances, which drew the attention of Slovan Liberec that purchased him in 2004. He was first considered a substitute (behind Zbyněk Hauzr), but quickly became number one and even one of the best goalkeepers in the Czech league, spending 740 minutes without conceding a goal in 2006. On 15 November 2006, he made his debut for the Czech national team in a friendly against Denmark that ended up in a 1–1 draw. This was, however, to remain his only cap as he was never able to be more than the number 3 goalkeeper, behind Petr Čech and Jaromír Blažek. On 5 January 2007, he agreed on a contract that linked him for two years with Russian club Luch-Energia Vladivostok. The fee was undisclosed…

Club

Inter Bratislava Slovak Superliga: 2000–01 Slovak Cup: 2000–01 Sparta Prague Czech First League: 2004–05 Porto Primeira Liga: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08 Taça de Portugal: 2005–06 Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2006

International

Slovakia U19 2002 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship – Third place

MŠK Žilina Corgoň Liga: 2001–02 Slovan Liberec Gambrinus liga: 2005–06