Peter Bonetti was “Chelsea’s greatest No.1” says fellow club legend Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris
Chelsea greats Petr Cech and Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris led the tributes to former Blues and England goalkeeper Peter Bonetti, who died at the age of 78 on Sunday.
The Blues confirmed the death of Bonetti following what it described as a “long-term illness”, adding: “All at Chelsea wish to send our heartfelt and deepest condolences to Peter’s family and friends.”
Cech, who surpassed Bonetti’s Chelsea record of 208 clean sheets in 2014, posted on Twitter: “Really sad news for everyone from @ChelseaFC family.. RIP “The Cat”... Legend.”
Bonetti made 495 appearances for Chelsea, a record beaten only by Harris, who described him as the club’s greatest goalkeeper, and “a great lad”.
Harris said: “He was about 5ft 10in, ever so slim, and acrobatic. He pulled off some unbelievable saves.
“I’m not knocking any of the present day keepers but ask any Chelsea supporter who’s been around for some time and I bet they’d say the number one keeper at Chelsea was Peter Bonetti.”