Prague, May 22 (CTK) – Goalkeeper Petr Cech, 36, from Arsenal London, has won the Golden Ball award for the best Czech footballer of the season for the 12th time, and the third time in a row, followed by midfielder Antonin Barak and defender Pavel Kaderabek, the poll organisers announced on Tuesday.
Cech gained 919 points in the 22nd Golden Ball sport journalists’ poll. Barak had 728 points and Kaderabek 657.
The two-round poll counting the votes for both the autumn and spring seasons’ results were released in Prague at noon.
Cech scored another victory in the poll even though he had ended his professional career in the national football team in 2016.
Cech has scored a record since no other Czech footballer has gained the title so many times. Midfielder Pavel Nedved has won Golden Ball six times.
Cech won the poll for the first time in 2005. Since then he has been defeated only twice – by David Lafata in 2015 and Nedved in 2009.
Arsenal ended sixth in Premier League, it ended in the semifinal of the European League and lost to Manchester City in the League Cup final.
Results of the Golden Ball poll for 2017/18 season:
1. Petr Cech (Arsenal) 919 points, 2. Antonin Barak (Udine) 728, 3. Pavel Kaderabek (Hoffenheim) 657, 4. Matej Vydra (Derby) 575, 5. Michael Krmencik (Plzen) 551, 6. Jiri Pavlenka (Bremen) 550, 7. Vladimir Darida (Hertha Berlin) 481, 8. Tomas Vaclik (Basel) 390, 9. Tomas Koubek (Rennes) 384, 10. Jakub Jankto (Udine) 357, 11. Theodor Gebre Selassie (Bremen) 308.
Standings in the spring part of the season:
1. Kaderabek 454, 2. Vydra 406, 3. Pavlenka 372, 4. Cech 362, 5. Koubek 337.
Standings in the autumn part:
1. Cech 557, 2. Krmencik 499, 3. Barak 445, 4. Vaclik 249, 5. Jankto 235.
