Before Alexis Sanchez graced the Emirates pitch, Tomas Rosicky was Arsenal’s Energizer Bunny.  No, the Czech Republic international is not as prolific in front of goal as his Chilean teammate, but the “little mozart” brought creativity, energy and intensity to the Arsenal squad over the last 10 years.  Rosicky had finally made his 2015/16 season debut on January 30th after recovering from a knee issue.  Gooners around the world were delighted to see the fan-favorite back in action. Happiness quickly turned to disappointment, however, as it was reported after the match that the Czech had suffered yet another injury.

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, broke the news about Rosicky on Friday that all Gunner fans were dreading.  “The only thing we know is that it’s a bad muscular injury that will keep him out for a long time,” Wenger said about his 35-year-old midfielder.  “The good news is that he will apparently not need surgery as it is a partial rupture of his tendon but how long it takes, [whether] it is two months or three months, we don’t know.  We are all shocked and he is the most shocked and we have to patient and hope that it is not his last game.”

As many Arsenal supporters are aware of, Rosicky is out of contract at season’s end and it appears very unlikely that the midfield maestro will be returning for an eleventh campaign in north London.

Rosicky arrived to Arsenal in 2006 from Borussia Dortmund and fit seamlessly into the club from the beginning.  Rosicky was made for Arsenal.  He is Arsenal through and through.  With vision, quick passing, slick movement and perhaps above everything else, tremendous passion for both the game and his club, the 35-year-old has been a pleasure to watch over the last decade.

The former three-time Czech Football of the Year recipient endured the days of Nicklas Bendtner, Marouane Chamakh, and Eduardo, yet still managed to make a significant impact on the club as an attacking midfielder.

Rosicky may not have been on the scoresheet a lot during his time with Arsenal so far, but he has scored some truly fantastic goals for the Gunners.  He set the tone for his Arsenal career quickly, as his first competitive goal for the the club was a thunderous strike against Hamburg in the Champions League.  While the goal against the German club was great, the midfielder’s two best goals for Arsenal both occurred in 2014.

The first was a stunning team goal against Sunderland, quintessentially Arsenal really.  Eight short passes in the attacking half and Rosicky chipped the keeper just outside of the six yard box.  Rosicky followed up this amazing score by netting an unstoppable goal just a few weeks later against bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur.  The ball flew passed the outstretched Hugo Lloris inside two minutes and wound up being the deciding goal of the game.  Match commentator Derek Rae called Rosicky’s strike, “pure, clean, and powerful.”

Unfortunately, Rosicky may not go down as a Premier League legend by the majority of pundits; however, as Wenger once said, “if you love football, you love Rosicky.”  Little Mozart has not only been a joy to watch during his decade in England, but he has seemingly also been an outstanding teammate as well.  One can only hope that Rosicky will quickly recover from his latest injury and once again play in red and white.