Norway skim off Estonian talent

With Tromsø IL signing Joel Lindpere last week, the number of Estonians playing in the Norwegian professional league has increased to five and for footballers from the small Baltic state, Norway has become one of their premium destinations to ply their trade.

Two cup wins
Lindpere is the second Estonian who will start the season in the Norwegian Tippeligaen, along with Estonia's Player of the Year, Raio Piiroja, who plays for Fredrikstad FK. Piiroja enjoyed success last year, becoming the second Estonian player to win the Norwegian Cup, after Kristen Viikmäe did the same with Vålerenga IF in 2002. While fellow Estonians Pavel Londak (FK Bodø/Glimt), Karl Palatu (Sogndal Football) and Aivar Anniste (Hønefoss BK) will all be playing in Norway's second division.

Thordarson opens door
It was Icelandic coach Teitur Thordarson who helped develop football relations between the two countries, when he accepted a dual job of managing FC Flora and the Estonia national team in 1995. Two years later, Norwegian players Paal Christian Alsaker and Trond Inge Haugland moved to join Estonian club Flora.

Icebreaker Lemsalu
The first Estonian player to go to Norway was central defender Marek Lemsalu, who had a trial at SK Brann in the summer of 1998 and then signed for Strømsgodset IF on loan in 1999. He was then followed by winger Sergei Terehhov, who arrived at Brann in 1999, where Thordarson had just taken over as a coach. "Teitur was surely one of the keys, he opened the market for us, and he is still highly respected for his opinions," Tarmo Lehiste, an Estonian manager, told uefa.com.

Strong work ethics
"Recent results and developments have reopened the door to us. Piiroja's two goals in the cup final, Flora's UEFA Cup win over FC Lyn Oslo, and the general activity in the Norwegian market are the reasons why clubs are more interested in Estonian players," Lehiste said. Similar cultural background, work ethic and a comparable playing style, also explain why Estonians are heading to Norway.