Veteran Mellberg signs for FCK

Danish title holders FC København have signed the veteran Swedish defender Olof Mellberg on a two-year deal from Villareal CF.

Mellberg, 35, will bring plenty of experience to a København side preparing for their first UEFA Champions League group stage campaign since 2010/11. Besides his 117 caps for Sweden — the last of which came at UEFA EURO 2012 — Mellberg has had spells at seven other clubs, including Aston Villa FC in England, Juventus in Italy, Olympiacos FC in Greece and most recently Villarreal, who he helped win promotion to the top flight in his one season at El Madrigal.

Explaining his motivation for the move, Mellberg told the FCK website: "They're a top club in Scandinavia, a club who win championships and have made a name for themselves in Europe. First of all I hope to be able to contribute on the pitch, but I also expect to be able to contribute off it with all the experience I have gathered from the various clubs I have played for.

"I have been in many different top clubs in several countries, so I am used to having a goal of winning leagues and fighting in Europe," he added. Although Mellberg turns 36 in September, FCK sports director Carsten V Jensen echoed this view that the centre-back can keep rolling back the years. "Our talks with him have left us in no doubt that his appetite and the winning instinct is still driving him on," he said.