Former Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky has announced his immediate retirement from professional football.
The 37-year-old had been playing for Sparta Prague but the club revealed on Wednesday that he has decided to hang up his boots during the winter break.
Rosicky, who struggled with injuries towards the end of his ten-year stay at Arsenal, said he felt he was no longer in a position to offer his best to Sparta - the club where he started his career in 1998.
"After careful consideration I have realised I am no longer able to fully prepare my body for what the professional football requires," he told the club's official website.