Name	Tomas Rosicky
Height	5' 10
Naionality	Arsenal
Date of Birth	4 October 1980
Place of Birth	Prague, Czechoslovakia
Famous for

Arsenal signed the Czech Republic international in May 2006 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £7m. The midfielder was brought in after Robert Pires left the club at the end of his contract, but has struggled with injury since joining.

An energetic, attacking midfielder with a penchant for the spectacular and an impressive range of passing, Rosicky had been a major name on the continental scene for many years, at one time being the most expensive Bundesliga signing after Borussia Dortmund bought him from Sparta Prague for £18m.

He made his professional debut for Sparta in 1998 and was an instant success, earning the nickname 'the Little Mozart' in helping his hometown club win three successive league titles. That led to interested from Europe's bigger leagues but it was Dortmund who smashed the German transfer record to complete the signing of one of the hottest young prospects in the game.

He was handed his international debut as a 19-year-old against the Republic of Ireland in 2000 and soon became an integral part of an exciting side.

Rosicky was part of a Dortmund team which enjoyed a fine run of success. They won the title in his first season and also reached the final of the UEFA Cup before losing to Feyenoord Rotterdam. But Dortmund's fortunes took a downturn when they hit financial problems and they were no longer a force in the race for honours. As such, it came as no real surprise when the club cashed in their chips with the player eager for a new challenge at Arsenal.

Rosicky took over the number 7 shirt which was formerly worn by Pires, but the Czech failed to follow in Pires' footsteps in the goalscoring stakes. After he bagged a superb brace in the Czech Republic's opening game of the 2006 World Cup against the United States many were hailing the signing as Arsene Wenger's latest transfer coup, although an injury in his second season with the club curtailed his involvement with the squad.

A hamstring injury saw the midfielder limp off the pitch after nine minutes of the FA Cup tie with Newcastle at Emirates Stadium in January, and he did not reappear for the rest of the season. Also missing out of Euro 2008, the midfielder's recovery stalled and he was told he would return in March 2009 after travelling to Germany for surgery on the niggling problem.

A fit Rosicky is an exciting prospect for Wenger, although he has yet to regain the kind of form which made him such a coverted signing.