In the summer of 2002, a young, strikingly tall Czech footballer was elected player of the tournament at the European Under 21 championships. He was a goalkeeper, a role not often rewarded with these sort of prizes. But he was his country's obvious hero, having saved two penalties in the shoot-out that decided the final in favour of the Czech Republic against France.
Petr Cech caught the eye for his heroics throughout the competition, but the club who acted most decisively to clinch his signature were Rennes, of Ligue 1. They paid around €5 million to Sparta Prague for the 20 year old. To look at that fee now, in the light of the fact that the most expensive keeper in the world, Kepa Arrizabalaga cost Chelsea 16 times that amount last summer, is to acknowledge Cech was one of the bargains of the century.
Should Kepa ever become half as lauded or successful at Chelsea as Cech was at the same club, he will retire a very proud man. There have been long periods, all of them during the 11 years Cech spent at Chelsea, until 2015, that he was considered among the finest three goalkeepers active anywhere in the game - his companions on that podium tended to be Gigi Buffon and Iker Casillas - and as he prepares to discard his gloves and his now distinctive head-guard for the last time in two months or so, Cech will be remembered by many as perhaps the absolute No 1 of his generation of glovemen.
Certainly, at Rennes, there are many supporters who would put him the club's best-ever XI. Cech will be reminded of that this Thursday evening in the north of France when he keeps goal for Arsenal in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Rennes. He can expect appreciative banners in his honour, in French and in Breton, the language of the region