Óscar Emilio Rojas

Who is Óscar Emilio Rojas?

Óscar Emilio Rojas Ruíz is a Costa Rican-Mexican naturalized football midfielder or forward, who currently plays for C.F. La Piedad of the Ascenso MX.

Rojas made his debut in the Primera División with La Piedad in the 2001 Invierno, and has also played for Dorados de Sinaloa and CD Veracruz. In the Primera División de Costa Rica, he started his career with Asociación Deportiva Carmelita.

He made his return to the Primera División in 2004, joining Dorados for the 2004 Apertura. He was a mainstay in midfield with the team, starting 16 of 17 games, and scoring three goals. Rojas subsequently moved to Veracruz in 2005 and de Chiapas in 2006. He remained with until the end of 2008, helping the club reach the playoff series twice. After a brief spell at Morelia, he dropped into the second division before returning to Costa Rica with Herediano in 2011.

Óscar Rojas has also represented the Costa Rican national team. Rojas made his international debut in a 1-0 World Cup qualification victory over Jamaica on November 11, 2001. He appeared at the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but missed out on the 2002 FIFA World Cup as one of the last cuts by national coach Alexandre Guimaraes. Absent from the national team for three years, he returned to the selection in 2005, first under Jorge Luis Pinto and then under the reappointed Guimaraes. Again, however, he was not chosen for the World Cup squad in 2006. His first international goal came against Peru national football team on August 22, 2007. He announced his retirement from the national team on April 10, 2009. However, he was once again selected by Pinto for a match against Jamaica on March 21, 2012, making his return to the national team just weeks before his thirty-third birthday.