Arsenal great Tomas Rosicky to bid football farewell in star-studded testimonial in Prague

Sparta Prague have announced a farewell match for former Arsenal player Tomas Rosicky to take place in June.

The ex-Czech Republic captain was forced to retire through injury in December but will return to the Letna Stadium in Prague for a final farewell on June 9 in a match set to feature former team-mates from Sparta, Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and the international stage.

“I want to say goodbye to Sparta Prague and Czech national team fans straight from the pitch,” said Rosicky.

“I always wanted to have a fun when I played football, I wanted to show the beauty and all variations of this game. And I want to show it to fans for the last time on June 9th at Letna.”

​Rosicky, whose 10 years at Arsenal were blighted by injuries even though he won two FA Cups, rejoined his boyhood club Sparta in the summer of 2016 but suffered an injury on his second debut that would rule him out for the remainder of the season.

“We firmly believe that this June day will become unforgettable for all Czech sports fans," said Tomas Krivda, an organiser of the game.

Though June’s game will represent Rosicky’s farewell to the game he is set to don an Arsenal jersey again in the near future. The 37-year-old, nicknamed ‘Little Mozart’, is among the former stars lined up for the Gunners’ home and away charity games against Real Madrid, the first of which takes place on June 3 at the Santiago Bernabeu.