Jesper Karlström: Udinese’s Swedish Captain Eyeing Victory Against Milan
It has been over 29 months since Udinese last defeated AC Milan. Since then, they’ve lost four matches in a row to the Rossoneri, failing to score in their last three meetings and losing by a combined 7-0 in their last two encounters. Udinese will be looking to put an end to their losing streak on Saturday, and they’ll be counting on Jesper Karlström to continue his stellar form in the center of the pitch.
“We’re trying not to focus on our history against Milan. It’s a new game, and we feel confident because of the last games we’ve had,” stated Karlström in an exclusive R.Org interview. “Okay, we lost against Juventus last month – where we played quite well in that game – but other than that, we’ve been playing well in these past five games, and we feel like we’re in good shape. The message from the coach is that we can go there and do something, and tomorrow we will go through more tactical things. But I think the most important thing for us is to keep this confidence that we have, and to be ready to do something great on Saturday.”
Refining his Skills in Stockholm
Born on June 21, 1995, Jesper Kewe Karlström grew up in the Swedish capital of Stockholm and commenced his footballing development at Hammarby IF at the age of six. After turning nine years old, his coach moved to IF Brommapojkarna and brought him and his entire youth team to the club. Karlström plied his trade at one of the best academies in Scandinavia, one that has produced Champions League stars like Viktor Gyökeres, Dejan Kulusevski, Daniel Svensson, and Lucas Bergvall, eventually making his first-team debut on July 27, 2013.
After balancing his time between the seniors and the U-19s, Karlström made the complete step up to the first team in 2014, scoring the game-winning goal in the last game of the Svenska Cupen group stage and qualifying them for the knockout round as well as playing in six UEFA Europa League qualifiers. And whilst he was unable to save his team from suffering relegation, he nevertheless made enough of a mark to justify a transfer to a top-flight side.
After scoring five goals and tallying three assists in 55 appearances for the Bromma boys, Karlström departed his boyhood club and made the move across Stockholm, joining Djurgårdens IF on a four-year deal. He quickly became an integral figure in midfield thanks to his selfless running and steady work in possession, but his minutes would dwindle in 2016 in part due to a torn thigh muscle that saw him miss the start of the campaign.
Karlström decided to change his number from 22 to 6 ahead of the 2017 season, where, after starting on the bench, he became one of the first names on the team sheet during the final two months. This earned him an international debut on January 10, 2018, a friendly in Abu Dhabi that featured the strongest players from Sweden and Denmark’s respective leagues rather than the established figures who were competing for their clubs elsewhere in Europe.
Karlström continued to solidify his credentials as one of the best midfielders in Sweden, bagging an assist as Djurgårdens defeated Malmö FF 3–0 in the 2018 Svenska Cupen final. With Karlström pulling the strings, Djurgårdens ascended to the top of the Allsvenskan table and made a genuine push for their first league title in 14 years. Going into the final day, Djurgårdens had 65 points, and Malmö had 64. Whereas Malmö would draw 0-0 at Örebro, Djurgårdens found themselves trailing 2-0 within a quarter-hour at IFK Norrköping, only to halve the deficit via Karlström, whilst Mohamed Buya Turay would equalize 15 minutes later to secure a stalemate and Djurgårdens’ 12th championship. Having amassed 12 goals and 11 assists in 172 appearances for the Iron Stoves and won the two biggest countries in the nation, Karlström decided to leave Stockholm for the first time and join Polish outfit Lech Poznań in December 2020.
“It was an amazing experience going abroad for the first time, and to win the league there as well with a club with a lot of history and a lot of fans, it of course made everything more special. I think the club and the league there, and the level developed me a lot as a player. It’s a physical league with a lot of quality. I think I developed all of my skills there, and had amazing memories there, which obviously brought me to where I am today, and to the national team and everything. I’m really happy that I took that step.”
It didn’t take Karlström to cement himself as one of the club’s most instrumental figures, spearheading them to the 2022 Polish Cup Final as well as their first title in seven years. The following season, meanwhile, would see him lead Duma Wielkopolski to their best-ever European campaign, pulling off famous wins against Austria Wien, Villarreal, Bodø/Glimt, and Djurgårdens before losing to Fiorentina in the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-finals.
Karlström emerged as a fan favorite during his time in Poland, registering 4 goals and nine assists in 144 appearances, before eventually deciding to start a new chapter in Italy and join Serie A club Udinese on a two-year deal for a reported fee of €2 million with potential bonuses in August 2024.
New Beginnings in Udinese
He enjoyed a seamless transition to Italian football, bagging three assists in 41 appearances and helping the Zebrette go from a miraculous final-day escape in 2023/24 to a steady 12th-placed finish. Having worn the captain’s armband in his final season with Djurgårdens, Karlström was bequeathed with the captaincy following Florian Thauvin’s summer move to Lens, and he’s managed to handle the pressure and lead by example both on and off the ball.
He ranks third in the squad for interceptions per game (1.1) and tackles per game (1.6), while he also ranks third with 29.9 accurate passes per game (80% accuracy). After opening his goal-scoring account against Lecce in October, Karlström has continued to raise his game and deliver alongside the likes of Keinan Davis for an Udinese side that sits 11th in the Serie A table. He’s worn the armband in each of his 33 appearances thus far, and all signs point to that continuing on Saturday.
At nearly 31 years of age, Jesper Karlström is hitting the best form of his entire career and emerging as an integral figure for not just Udinese, but Sweden as well. He made his competitive Sweden debut on March 24, 2022, coming on for the final minutes of an extra-time win against Czechia, before starting in another World Cup qualifier against Poland. Whilst Poland secured their ticket to Qatar with a 2-0 victory, Sweden went home empty-handed. After being included in seven out of eight international squads, Karlström spent a year out of the side before returning in October 2024 after Sweden’s unsuccessful Euro qualification.
He’s been involved in every single international window since then, and last month, he helped Sweden return to the biggest tournament in sports after starting in their matches against Ukraine and Poland. Sweden will face Tunisia in Monterrey before facing the Netherlands in Houston, followed by a match-up with Group F rivals Japan in Arlington.
“I think that my path wasn’t that clear, but I never gave up, and I always kept on working. I always kept believing in myself, and then I was lucky that I had a few people in Poland, in Udinese, and also in the national team who also believed in me. You could say that I’m kind of a late bloomer, and I never gave up. It also shows that you can take many different roads to reach the top, to arrive at the national team, and that it’s never too late to play in big leagues. I’m really happy to be here at Udinese and to have a World Cup to look forward to.”
Revenge is a dish best served cold, as proven in Sweden’s cathartic win against Poland last week. But now, can Karlström help the Zebrette avenge a run of four consecutive losses to Milan? Can he hold his own against a midfield featuring Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modrić, World Cup winner Adrien Rabiot, and World Cup finalist Youssouf Fofana? And with just seven matches remaining, can he steer Udinese to their first top-half finish in 13 years?
“Modrić is one of the toughest opponents that I’ve faced, but I also like Juventus’ Manuel Locatelli and Inter’s Piotr Zieliński very much. But honestly, I don’t think so much about the individual battle against Modrić. Of course, I know we’re facing him as well as a lot of good players in Milan, so I think my focus is to perform well myself, and then as a team, for us to be ready. That’s the main target. I need to be on my best day, and also as a team, we need to be on a good day to stop him and to stop Milan in general.”