Rooba makes Danish switch

Estonian international left-back Urmas Rooba has joined Danish Superleigaen side FC København moved from rivals FC Midtjylland.

Five-year contract
The 24-year-old has signed a five-year contract with the capital club and will now play his part in this season's UEFA Cup.

'New challenge'
"After playing two years with Midtjylland this move is a clear step up in my career," he said after joining last season's runners-up for €500,000. "I was happy with my previous club, but København is the biggest club in Denmark and the fact that they have signed me shows that I have worked hard and succeeded in these two years in Denmark.

Backe's backing
"Hans Backe [the København coach] sees me as an attack-minded left-back in his 4-4-2, which suits me fine. It is a new challenge for me and I see this move as a move closer to Europe's elite. Obviously my ambitions are higher as well, but København is a perfect side to continue my career," Rooba explained.

Scored on his international debut
Rooba is the younger of two brothers who play for the Estonian national team. He started his career in the small town of Roosna-Alliku, moved to FC Flora in 1994 and made his international debut in July 1996, just one day prior to his 18th birthday when he scored against Latvia in a 1-1 draw. This remains his only international goal to date, despite having collected 41 caps.

Injury problems
Rooba has suffered serious knee and ankle injuries which ruled him out for long periods between 1997 and 2000. Indeed, he played only 26 competitive games during these three years, but his determination paid off when he joined Midtjylland in the summer of 2000. Midtjylland will be sorry to see Rooba go having finished third in the league last season and qualifying for the UEFA Cup.