Arsenal and Czech legend, Tomas Rosicky, has announced his retirement from professional football.
He made the announcement at a special news conference on Wednesday.
“After careful consideration I have realised I am no longer able to fully prepare my body for what the professional football requires. I would like to thank Sparta for raising me, for being the first step in my career in big clubs, and for allowing me to say goodbye at the place I love the most,” Rosický said.
Rosický is a Sparta homegrown player, who had joined the club in the 1988 from CKD Kompresory Praga.
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He became a key part of the first team between 1998 and 2001, having won three Czech championships.
He joined Dortmund later in his career, won the German championship in 2002 and then left to Arsenal in 2006.
At Arsenal, Rosicky spent ten years with the club and became an integral part of the Arsene Wenger tutored side.
He won the FA Cup twice and one FA community shield with the North London Club.
Rosicky then returned to Sparta in summer 2016 and made twelve league appearances since then, scoring one goal.
He also made 105 national team appearances for Czech Republic, scoring 23 goals.
