Tomáš Rosický

Sparta Prague

Rosický began his career at Sparta Prague, following his father Jiří who played for the club in the 1970s and brother, also called Jiří, who played as a trainee in the 1990s. Having played for Sparta's youth teams, Tomáš debuted for Sparta's senior team in 1998 and played three matches in the 1998–99 season, winning the national title with Sparta. He scored five goals in the 1999–2000 season as the team won the league for the second year in succession. He was named the "Talent of the Year" at the 1999 Czech Footballer of the Year awards. During the 2000–01 UEFA Champions League group stage, he scored goals in matches against Shakhtar Donetsk and Arsenal, attracting the attention of Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, which had a bid accepted for the player in January 2001.

Borussia Dortmund

On 9 January 2001, Rosický joined Borussia Dortmund, signing a five-year contract. His transfer fee of DM 25 million (approximately £8 million), made him the most expensive player in Bundesliga history and the most expensive Czech player to be sold to a foreign team. In his first full season at Dortmund, Rosický helped the club to win the 2001–02 Bundesliga title. He also took part in the 2002 UEFA Cup Final, which Dortmund ultimately lost 3–2 to Feyenoord. During his first two and a half seasons with the club, Rosický played 75 league matches, scoring nine goals and registering 20 assists. He subsequently agreed to extend his contract with Dortmund in July…

Early senior career

On 23 February 2000, Rosický made his international debut for the Czech Republic in a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland, replacing Pavel Nedvěd at the 83rd minute. He scored his first goal on 6 October 2001 in another friendly match against Bulgaria. Rosický was named in the Czech Republic's provisional 26-man squad for UEFA Euro 2000. He played in his nation's first two matches at Euro 2000 during Patrik Berger's international suspension – both losses – before Berger replaced him ahead of the Czech Republic's final game, against Denmark.

2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2004

Rosický took part in qualification for the 2002 World Cup, scoring twice in a 6–0 victory against Bulgaria. Due to suspension, Rosický could not part in the first game, a 1–0 loss. In the second match, he played in the 1–0 loss as Belgium qualified for the 2002 World Cup at the Czechs' expense. Rosický played a prominent role at Euro 2004 where the Czech team defeated Netherlands and Denmark but surprisingly lost to eventual winners Greece in the semi-finals. He helped the side qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, scoring seven times in 12 matches during the qualifying process; the last of these was the only goal of the second leg of the Czech Republic's play-off against Norway, ensuring qualification for the finals.

2006

At the 2006 World Cup, Rosický scored two goals in the Czech Republic's opening match on 12 June 2006 in a 3–0…

In January 2018 Rosický became assistant of the new AC Sparta Prague sporting director Zdeněk Ščasný. On 17 December 2018 he replaced Ščasný as sporting director, soon after Ščasný moved to the position of Sparta head coach.

Ahead of his first senior international tournament (Euro 2000), Rosický was described by the BBC as "a solid playmaker." Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger described Rosický as having "great technique, skill on the ball and sharp passing." Upon signing a contract extension in 2010, Wenger called him a "special talent" and said his "vision and touch is remarkable." Announcing Rosický's 2012 contract extension, Wenger called him "technically top class". Rosický is also well known for preferring to use the outside of his foot for passing and shooting. In Germany, he gained the nickname "The Little Mozart" for his ability to orchestrate play on the pitch. David Hytner of The Guardian described him as "the all-round midfielder who brings balance, organisation and urgency to the team."