Arsenal fans will always remember Tomas Rosicky with fondness.

On his day, the man nicknamed 'the little Mozart' could be one of the most effective players in the Premier League.

The former Czech Republic international's playing days have always been overshadowed by injury, though, and he was expected to retire at the end of last season after another campaign of constant problems.

Never one to give up despite his adversity, the 36-year-old was determined to keep playing football and headed back to his native land in search of a new club.

Hometown club Sparta Prague brought him in on a two-year deal, and he made his debut in September in a 2-2 draw with Mlada Boleslav.

How did it go? Unfortunately, just as you would expect.

Sadly, no matter how dedicated the midfielder may be, he just can't seem to defeat his injury demons.

More heartbreak 

After 19 minutes against Mlada, he was forced off, and the full cost of that brief appearance has now been reported by FourFourTwo.

Rosicky has had to undergo surgery on his Achilles tendon and won't be playing again until the start of next season at the very earliest.

It all means that once again, the notoriously hard-working Rosicky has seen his ambitions thwarted by disappointment.

Ironically, he's still managed more minutes on the pitch than he did last season for the Gunners.

And incredibly, it hasn't dampened his spirits.

Rosicky's still fighting 

"It's like in life," he said.

"If there's hope, you need to fight for it. I'll simply give it one more try."

It's quite astounding to think that Rosicky spent 10 years at the Emirates and made over 200 appearances in all competitions for the club.

In his later years in north London, he featured so sporadically that it became a momentous occasion when he even made the bench.

At Sparta Prague, his season has now ended in unfortunate but not unpredictable circumstances. It'd be great to see him playing regularly again next year, but we just can't see it happening.

Should Rosicky retire? Have your say in the comments.