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Tomáš Rosický
Personal information
Date of birth	4 October 1980 (1980-10-04) (age 28)
Place of birth	Prague, Czechoslovakia
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)1
Playing position	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current club	Arsenal
Number	7
Youth career
1986–1988 1988–1998	ČKD Kompresory Praha Sparta Prague
Senior career1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1998–2001 2001–2006 2006–	Sparta Prague Borussia Dortmund Arsenal	041 0(8) 149 (20) 044 0(9)
National team2
1999 2000–	Czech Republic U-21 Czech Republic	002 0(0) 067 (18)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:05, 26 May 2009 (UTC). 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 15:52, 1 November 2008 (UTC). * Appearances (Goals)

Tomáš Rosický (Czech pronunciation: [ˈtomaːʃ ˈrosɪtsˌkiː]; born 4 October 1980 in Prague) is a Czech footballer who currently plays for the English Premier League club Arsenal and the Czech national team. He has a brother named Jiří who is also a footballer. An attacking midfielder nicknamed "The Little Mozart," Rosický is known for his phenomenal skill and his ability to orchestrate the midfield with good passing and the composure to keep the ball in the final third.

Club career

Borussia Dortmund

When Rosický first arrived at Borussia Dortmund, his arrival cost the team €29 million, a Bundesliga record transfer when he arrived from Sparta Prague in 2001.² Rosický's reputation grew during his time at Dortmund and, during the latter stages of his spell at the club, Dortmund were in substantial financial trouble and could not hold onto him despite recognising his influence on the team. Press reports linked him with big money transfers to Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, and Arsenal. Rosický expressed a desire for Dortmund to allow him to leave at the end of the 2005–06 season, and the arrival of South African Steven Pienaar was made in preparation for Rosický's departure.

Arsenal

2006–07 season

On 23 May 2006, Arsenal confirmed that they had signed Rosický on a long-term contract. The transfer fee was undisclosed but was rumoured to be in the region of €10 million due to a get-out clause in his contract at Borussia Dortmund.²³ Rosický took over the number 7 shirt which was formerly worn by Frenchman Robert Pirès.

On 8 August 2006, Rosický made his competitive debut for Arsenal in their first leg Champions League third round qualifier against Dinamo Zagreb, playing on the left-wing. On 13 September, Rosický scored his first goal for Arsenal in an away game at Hamburger SV, a spectacular long-range effort from 30 yards out, awarding him the 2007 Champions League "Greatest Goal." He scored his first Premiership goal against Wigan Athletic on 11 February 2007. Due to having arrived in the summer, Rosický was in goalscoring form in the 2006–07 season, hitting the net 13 times in the Premiership season, including a magnificent double against Liverpool in the FA Cup.

Rosický is preferred as a left-winger at Arsenal, as some of his play resembles his predecessor of his position, Robert Pirès. While still at an early stage in his career, Tomáš has gained the nickname(s) of "The Little Mozart" and "The Mozart of Football" for his ability to orchestrate play on the pitch.⁴

2007–08 season

Rosický again started the 2007–08 season deployed as a left midfielder. On 29 August, he scored his first competitive goal of the season in a game against his former club of Sparta Prague, scoring just after seven minutes with a low drive from inside the box, following good work from Aliaksandr Hleb and Cesc Fàbregas.⁵ Rosický kept up his good form while playing against Portsmouth to score his first Premier League goal of the season with a fierce shot from an acute angle. After recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in a Sevilla FC game, Rosický made his comeback against Bolton Wanderers in a Premier League match. He combined well with Theo Walcott to score with a neat finish from six yards out, then once again against Wigan Athletic after being put clean through by Robin van Persie. He netted again in an away game at Middlesbrough which Arsenal lost 2–1 and was on the scoresheet again against Everton with a low drive from the edge of the box in a 4–1 victory. He again scored in the away match against Fulham from 22 yards out. The match ended in a 3–0 victory for Arsenal.

Arsenal fans last saw the Czech midfielder when he left the pitch after nine minutes of the FA Cup tie with Newcastle United at Emirates Stadium on 26 January. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger later described the injury as "not a serious one but a strange one." However, it sidelined him for the remainder of the season and kept him out of the summer tournament of UEFA Euro 2008. According to Sky Sports, Rosický would miss the start of the 2008–09 season after undergoing knee surgery. The nagging injuries have curtailed his Arsenal career but he hoped to be back between September and October.⁶

2008–09 season

After missing the UEFA Euro 2008 finals through injury, Rosický was expected to return to action in September originally, but his return was delayed several times, and he ended up missing the entire 2008–09 season. He is due to return to first-team training in early July 2009.

International career

Rosický made his international debut in 2000 at 19 years-of-age against the Republic of Ireland. He played for his country at UEFA Euro 2000 and UEFA Euro 2004 and helped the side qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. Rosický shone for his country in the group stages of the qualification campaign, scoring several goals from the penalty spot and setting up Milan Baroš and Jan Koller in particular with accurate and precise passing. He also scored the winning goal in the second leg of the Czech Republic's play-off against Norway to ensure qualification for the finals.

In the 2006 World Cup finals, Rosický scored two goals in the Czech Republic's 3–0 victory over the United States, one of which was nominated for the 2006 World Cup best goal in their opening match on 12 June 2006. The Czech Republic went out at the World Cup in the group stages, with Rosický forced to move into the attack after injuries to both of the country's star strikers, Jan Koller and Milan Baroš.

At the beginning of the 2006–07 season, Rosický was made captain of the Czech Republic national side, replacing the retiring Pavel Nedvěd, which he has taken up very well, greatly helping the Czech Republic qualify for Euro 2008.

Rosický missed Euro 2008 due to injury.

Honours

Sparta Prague

• Winner
  • Czech Liga: 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01

Borussia Dortmund

• Winner
  • Bundesliga: 2001–02
• Runner-up
  • UEFA Cup: 2001–02

Arsenal

• Runner-up
  • League Cup: 2007

Individual

• Czech Runner Up Player of the Year: 2005
• Czech Player of the Year: 2002, 2006
• Nominee for the "FIFA World Player of the Year" award: 2006

Club career statistics

(correct as of 5 May 2009)

References

External links

• Official website (Czech) (English)
• Tomáš Rosický's career timeline and detailed statistics
• Tomáš Rosický's statistics at Football Association of the Czech Republic webpage
• Tomáš Rosický career stats at Soccerbase
• Profile at Arsenal.com

v • d • e Czech Republic squad – UEFA Euro 2000 1 Srníček • 2 Řepka • 3 Látal • 4 Nedvěd • 5 Fukal • 6 Vlček • 7 Němec • 8 Poborský • 9 Kuka • 10 Koller • 11 Rosický • 12 Lokvenc • 13 Bejbl • 14 Horváth • 15 Jankulovski • 16 Maier • 17 Šmicer • 18 Novotný • 19 Rada • 20 Berger • 21 Gabriel • 22 Blažek • Coach: Chovanec

v • d • e Czech Republic squad – UEFA Euro 2004 semi-finalists 1 Čech • 2 Grygera • 3 Mareš • 4 Galásek • 5 Bolf • 6 Jankulovski • 7 Šmicer • 8 Poborský • 9 Koller • 10 Rosický • 11 Nedvěd • 12 Lokvenc • 13 Jiránek • 14 Vachoušek • 15 Baroš • 16 Blažek • 17 Hübschman • 18 Heinz • 19 Týce • 20 Plašil • 21 Ujfaluši • 22 Rozehnal • 23 Kinský • Coach: Brückner

v • d • e Czech Republic squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Čech • 2 Grygera • 3 Mareš • 4 Galásek • 5 Kováč • 6 Jankulovski • 7 Sionko • 8 Poborský • 9 Koller • 10 Rosický • 11 Nedvěd • 12 Lokvenc • 13 Jiránek • 14 Jarolím • 15 Baroš • 16 Blažek • 17 Štajner • 18 Heinz • 19 Polák • 20 Plašil • 21 Ujfaluši • 22 Rozehnal • 23 Kinský • Coach: Brückner