Football Player's Biography 7: Tomáš Rosický

Full name	Tomáš Rosický
Date of birth	4 October 1980 (1980-10-04) (age 30)
Place of birth	Prague, Czechoslovakia
Height	1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)^[1]^[2]
Playing position	Attacking midfielder

Tomáš Rosický (Czech pronunciation: [ˈtomaːʃ ˈrosɪtskiː]; born 4 October 1980 in Prague) is a Czech footballer who plays for Arsenal and is captain of the Czech national team. He is also one of the many of Arsenal's vice captains. He has a brother named Jiří who used to be a footballer as well. A versatile attacking midfielder nicknamed "The Little Mozart", Rosický is known for his skill and his ability to orchestrate the midfield with his passing, Arsène Wenger described him as a player with remarkable vision and first touch

Club career

Borussia Dortmund

When Rosický first arrived at Borussia Dortmund, his arrival cost the team €14.5 million, a Bundesliga record transfer when he arrived from Sparta Prague in 2001.^[4] 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. In Germany, Rosický gained the nickname "The Little Mozart" and "The Mozart of Football" for his ability to orchestrate play on the pitch.^[5]

Arsenal

2006–07 season

On 23 May 2006, Arsenal confirmed that they had signed Rosický on a long-term contract.^[4]^[6] Rosický took over the number 7 shirt, previously worn by Robert Pires.
He made his competitive debut for Arsenal on 8 August 2006 in a 3–0 win over Dinamo Zagreb in a Champions League qualifier.^[7] He scored his first Arsenal goal on 13 September 2006 against Hamburg in Arsenal's first Champions League game of the season, which Arsenal won by 2–1.^[8] On 6 January 2007, he scored a brace against Liverpool in the FA Cup.^[9]^[10] He scored his first Premiership goal against Wigan Athletic on 11 February 2007.^[11] He also scored against Bolton on 14 April 2007^[12] and against Manchester City on 17 April 2007.^[13] He scored 6 goals in 37 appearances in all competitions in his first season at Arsenal.

2007–08 season

On 29 August, he scored in a game against his former club Sparta Prague, scoring after seven minutes with a low drive from inside the box.^[14] Rosický scored his first Premier League goal of the season against Portsmouth.^[15] Against Bolton Wanderers in a Premier League match he combined with Theo Walcott to score,^[16] then once again against Wigan Athletic.^[17] He netted again in an away game at Middlesbrough which Arsenal lost 2–1^[18] and was on the scoresheet again against Everton with a low drive from the edge of the box in a 4–1 victory.^[19] He again scored in the away match against Fulham. The match ended in a 3–0 victory for Arsenal.^[20]

2009–10 season

Rosický did not feature for Arsenal during the 2008–09 season due to his hamstring tendon injury. He eventually returned to full training in May 2009, after eighteen months of absence. In early August 2009, he had again picked up another niggling injury, this time straining his hamstring, and it was thought that he would be out for about six weeks.^[21] He returned to first team action as a substitute in the league on 12 September 2009, setting up the first goal and scoring the second in a 4–2 defeat away to Manchester City.^[22]
On 4 January 2010, Rosický signed a new long-term deal with Arsenal stating, “"It's felt like home since I arrived here four years ago and I believe we're on the verge of achieving something special together.” Manager of Arsenal, Arsene Wenger commented on the new deal with Rosický saying, "I have spoken many times of Tomas' class and contribution, not only on the pitch but off it as well, and I very much feel that this new contract reflects that.” ^[23] Rosický scored a 93rd minute equalizer in a 2–2 draw at The Emirates Stadium against Everton to give Arsenal a crucial point. His third goal of the season came against Bolton Wanderers in a 4–2 victory after Arsenal had gone down 2–0 with Rosicky beginning the Gunners’ comeback by scoring the first Arsenal goal right before half time.
In a later game against Liverpool, Rosický provided a cross for team mate Abou Diaby which he converted to give Arsenal a 1–0 victory at the Emirates on 10 February 2010. Rosický again provided an assist against FC Porto in the Champions League, as he headed back a corner kick from the far post into the danger area, setting up Sol Campbell to fetch a valuable away goal for Arsenal at the Estádio do Dragão.^[24] Arsenal eventually won the tie 6–2 on aggregate.

2010–11 season

On 15 August 2010 in the first Premier League match of the season, Rosický was brought on as a substitute when Arsenal were trailing by a goal to Liverpool. He attempted a chip effort after a run that Pepe Reina stretched out his right hand to flick it over the bar. In the 89th minute, he produced a cross that was diverted by Marouane Chamakh against the post. The rebound was spilled by Reina into his own net.^[25]^[26]^[27] On 21 August 2010 he made his first start since April 2010 against Blackpool.^[28] He made a pass that put Chamakh through on goal and Blackpool's Ian Evatt was sent off when he brought Chamakh down. So far he has made 33 appearances and has scored 1 goal in all competitions. On 20 February 2011, he scored his first goal of the season in an FA Cup tie away to Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road with a 53rd minute header, playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 draw. This was Rosicky's first goal for Arsenal in thirteen months to the day, when he scored the first of four goals in a 4-2 home victory over Bolton Wanderers after being 2-0 down. On 27 February 2011, he started the 2011 League Cup final match against Birmingham City, playing the full 90 minutes at Wembley Stadium, because of the injured Cesc Fabregas, and would then later captain the Gunners in the game after Robin Van Persie went off struggling with an injury for Nicklas Bendtner.

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 Euro 2000 and Euro 2004 and helped the side qualify for the 2006 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 opening match on 12 June 2006 in a 3–0 victory over the United States, one of which was from 35 yards out and was nominated for the 2006 World Cup best goal. 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 took up very well, greatly helping the Czech Republic qualify for Euro 2008.
Rosický missed Euro 2008 due to injury. He made his return to the international fold when he started for Czech Republic on the 9 September 2009, in a World Cup qualifier against San Marino. On 9 February 2011, he started in an international friendly match against Croatia, and also scored a goal at the Stadion Maksimir in the 45th minute in a 4–2 defeat. As of March 2011, he has won 80 caps for his country, scoring 20 goals in the process.

Personal life

Rosický is reported to be a proficient guitarist, and has played live with Tři sestry. Rosický was able to hone his guitar skills during his 18 months on the sidelines because of his hamstring injury. He has even played at the Czech player of the year awards to "serenade" Chelsea's first choice goalkeeper Petr Čech as the goalkeeper received the Czech player of the year award.^[31]