Plagued by injuries that all but marred the star career many had envisioned, Czech Republic captain Tomas Rosicky is back in shape in time to lead his team at Euro 2012.
The 31-year-old Arsenal midfielder has won over Gunners' fans who named him the player of the month in both March and April, calling him "Arsenal's most creative force for much of April" on the team website.
The redress of months spent sidelined by injury or struggling for a place on the Gunners' roster seems to come at the right time for Rosicky and his national team, which faces Euro 2012 hosts Poland, plus Russia and Greece, in Group A.
"When somebody writes you off, it doesn't mean you can't achieve your goal," says Rosicky, who has scored 20 times in 85 games for the national team he has captained since 2006.
"I still believe I have plenty in me -- we'll see how it all goes but right now I feel great and want to continue this way," Rosicky told the official Arsenal magazine.
The Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine marks a comeback for the player who started his international career at Euro 2000 at the age of 19.
Four years later, the Czechs stunned Europe with an offensive drive led by a star-packed midfield -- Pavel Nedved, Karel Poborsky, Vladimir Smicer and Rosicky himself -- that was only stopped by defence-happy Greece in the semi-finals.
At the time, Rosicky was already an icon at Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund, to which he had moved in 2001 from Sparta Prague to win the German title and a spot in the UEFA Cup finals in 2002.
In 2006, the player dubbed "Little Mozart" moved to Arsenal to put some spice in his career.
But the plan did not quite work out as injuries struck -- groin first, and then a knee tendon injury from January 2008, which sidelined the player for 18 months and kept him out of Euro 2008.
Rosicky recovered in time to lead the Czechs through their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign, watching the team to take on a completely different shape in a radical rejuvenation cure.
"We will be an unpleasant rival for everyone," Rosicky said after leading the Czechs to their fifth straight Euro tournament.
With the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri from Arsenal, Rosicky took on the role of a mastermind in his club, too.
"When he plays, he's always one of the best. This is why he now plays regularly for Arsenal," Czech manager Michal Bilek said recently.
"I have never doubted Tomas and if he goes on like this we definitely have a leader for the national team," he added.
Rosicky was born on October 4, 1980 to father Jiri, a former Sparta Prague footballer, and mother Eva, a former table-tennis player.
His older brother Jiri, also a footballer, made it as far as Atletico Madrid.
An ardent rock fan, Rosicky bought an electric guitar in the last year of his German mission and, after some rehearsing, has played with a popular Czech rock band called Tri sestry (Three Sisters) on several occasions.
Source: AFP
