Petr Cech has paid tribute to Cesar Azpilicueta after Chelsea’s Club World Cup triumph and says the Blues captain ‘never disappoints’.
Kai Havertz scored a late penalty in extra-time as Chelsea beat Brazilian team Palmeiras in the Club World Cup final.
The win in Abu Dhabi means Chelsea have now won every possible trophy under Roman Abramovich, while Azpilicueta has lifted every trophy available to him since arriving at the club.
Azpilicueta has played more than 450 games for the Blues since his move from Marseille in 2012, helping Chelsea win the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, Super Cup, FA Cup, EFL Cup and now the Club World Cup.
‘Azpi has now won everything, and that is an amazing achievement. All the credit goes to him,’ Cech told Chelsea’s official website.
‘When he arrived in 2012, he came first to compete for his spot. He had a long-term injury the year before, so he had had a difficult time before he came to us. He had to start from scratch fighting for his place.
‘He is one of those players who never disappoints you. He works hard, he does everything. He is an honest player on the pitch, and off the pitch he works hard.
‘You know you can rely on him in any situation. That is the key to his success. No matter which manager was in charge, they all knew they could count on him, his attitude, and his qualities. ‘Now he has the huge reward of lifting these trophies as a captain.’
Former Chelsea keeper Cech, who won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, watched the Club World Cup final alongside John Terry and Didier Drogba.
He recalled: ‘I sat next to JT and Didier at the final. It was quite nice to live that emotion through the game with them, and to see how much they care.
‘I don’t like sitting and watching games from the stands, I want to be on the pitch! I have got better at it now, but in big games you still feel a bit helpless. ‘I am a quiet sufferer! I don’t show much emotion, but I know me jumping around doesn’t change much.
‘We were all part of the process preparing the game, so the players knew what was coming. Then you sit and wish everything goes right. It did!’
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The European champions edged past Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup semi-final before securing another win over Palmeiras to lift the trophy.
Cech, who now works as a technical and performance advisor at the London club, added: ‘The semi-final was not our best game. The players wanted to get it right so much that you could feel there was a bit of nervousness in the air.
‘You need to find a way to win games, especially when things are not going so well, and you have some nerves.
‘We found a way to deal with that in both games in Abu Dhabi and I liked the way we played. The team was strong enough to find a way through.
‘You expect some difficulties during a Club World Cup final, and we coped with it really well. Everybody contributed.
‘This was the trophy the club missed 10 years ago, and it was great this time to be on the right side of things. The fact we had to fight hard for the trophy makes it even better.’
