TOULOUSE, France -- Czech Republic captain Tomas Rosicky is fit and ready to play in his country's European Championship opener against defending champion Spain on Monday.
Rosicky missed virtually all of last season because of injuries, but said he has had plenty of opportunities to get healthy.
"I played all the three friendly games before the start of the tournament," Rosicky said Sunday, a day before his team's Group D match at the Stadium de Toulouse. "Even before that, I was in full practice for two months. I feel fine, everything is all right and I hope it will stay this way."
The 35-year-old Rosicky, who is playing in his fourth European Championship, has been the Czech Republic's spark in midfield and his experience will be vital against Spain. He played at Euro 2000 and then led the team to the semifinals at Euro 2004.
But he missed the 2008 tournament with a knee injury, sustained an injury again during the 2012 edition and missed a large part of the qualifying campaign this time around. He has made more than 100 international appearances, and after recovering from injuries that prevented him from playing in the Premier League last season, he is ready to add more.
He was asked what the secret was to his longevity and whether he would play until he was 40.
"It's difficult to explain," he said. "There's nothing special. You have to take care of your body and sacrifice your life for football. I play football because it's fun for me. If next year, if football won't be fun for me, I will retire."
The Czech team finished first in its qualifying group, but Rosicky knows it will be tough to get a result on Monday.
"We have to have a great performance - not just individually but as a team," he said. "I don't want to talk about luck. We have to have luck, but we have to deserve it."