I couldn’t have wished for a better “hundred”

What are you going to remember about your hundredth Champions League game?
Only the best things, really. We won, qualified, everything went great. We went for a win from the very start, didn’t wait for the other side to make a move. We managed to score quickly and were in a 2-0 lead by the end of the first half. We had everything under control for the whole duration of the game. After the interval we could have put even more distance between us and our opponent but our counterattacks didn’t really go as planned. All in all we put up a good fight. We never let them take a shot, either, the only proper one was toward the end. That’s exactly what we wanted.
Did you talk to your friend Didier Drogba after the match?
Yes. I was relieved I didn’t concede his strike at the end. He said he was an inch away. He admitted we’d been the better team out there, though, and he was definitely moved the fans’ warm reception.
Do you realise how major a milestone a hundred appearances in the Champions League are?
I never did think I’d eventually go on to reach this number when I played my first Champions League game for Sparta against Bayern Munich back in 2001. Most players aren’t this lucky; it’s not usual for someone to get to appear in the Champions League as regularly as I have with Chelsea. I’d never have reached this number if I hadn’t worked extremely hard to retain my number one goalkeeper position, either. An outfielder can get sent in for a minute and get a valid appearance but it’s not that easy with goalies. It certainly is proof of consistent performances on my part and I hope to enhance this number in the future.
Did you discuss it with your teammates?
Ashley Cole’s got the most appearances with his 103 games, although a lot of those were for Arsenal. Frank Lampard’s missing one more appearance before reaching the same milestone, John Terry four. There’s actually not that many people who’ve reached this number, and even less goalkeepers, so I’m truly honoured. It’s also indicative of Chelsea’s successfulness in the Champions League in the recent years. Personally my “hundred” comprises 12 appearances for Sparta Prague and the rest is all Chelsea since 2004.
Do you recall anything about your first Champions League appearance in 2001?
You don’t simply forget those. We were supposed to play Spartak Moscow at home, but due to the ensuing terrorist attacks in the USA the entire round got postponed. We then started at Bayern. Everyone said we’d concede five goals there and we actually drew 0-0. I did quite well back then, although the post did save me a couple of times. The game took place at the Olympic stadium and I switched jerseys with Kahn. I still have it hung up at home.
Who did you exchange jerseys with after your hundredth match?
No one, I kept mine.
You might just be one of the only ones still playing at a professional level out of those you played alongside in your first Champions League game...
It’s only Pizarro left from Bayern and Tomas Hübschman and Jiri Jarosik from Sparta.
Now that you’ve passed a hundred, what is your next goal?
I still very much enjoy football as such, so I hope there’s going to be many more. We’ll see what the quarterfinal draw is but it would be lovely to have 105 Champions League appearances by the end of this season :-)