Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech insists that ‘rest and recovery’ will play a vital role in prolonging his career as a footballer.

The 34-year-old announced his international retirement on Friday after a stellar career spanning 14 years, during which he became his country’s all-time record appearance holder, reports the Arsenal website.

The former Chelsea shot-stopper has played 124 times for his national side and insists that finding balance is the only things that will help him to keep playing at the highest level for as long as I can.

‘I’ve been playing in the national team for 14 years,’ Cech said.

‘We always qualified for the big tournaments.’

‘I’ve had so many club games to play year-by-year too, and I think I’ve reached the point where I believe that if I want to continue doing things to 100 percent every day, like I’ve always done, then I will probably need more time to rest and recover.

‘This is a purely football-based decision. If I want to prolong my career and play at the highest level for as long as I can, then I will probably need to find the balance so that I can continue to do so,’ he added.

Cech admitted that calling time on his international career came purely from wanting to prolong his career at club level for as long as he could, stating he wouldn’t be able to fully commit to international tournaments at his age.

‘I’m now 34 and the next [international] tournament is in two years which, in football, is a very long time. The last thing I wanted to do was start a campaign and then say “I don’t think it’s right for me to continue” halfway through it,’ he said.

Image: Arsenal website