When you think about the impressive talent coming out of Netherlands, you think of talents coming out from clubs like Ajax FC and PSV Eindhoven. Jasper Karlsson has been tearing up the Eredivisie, but he does not play for wither club. The Az Alkmaar winger has scored eight goals, while also adding a further six league goals to announce himself to the world.
The 23-year-old Swedish joined the Netherland club from IF Elfsborg and has spent the last two years since his move showing Alkmaar that they made the right decision by securing his services. The young man’s talent is pretty obvious, with his style of play often likened to that of Cristiano Ronaldo during his early days at Manchester United.
He started playing football at the age of just 4, before joining the youth set-up at Falkenbergs FF. He notched up 42 goal contributions in his time there, averaging a goal contribution every 148 minutes. This secured the player with a move to IF Elfsborg for around €450,000 where he continued from where he left off.
A big-money move to Az Alkmaar followed, and he has never looked back since then. A move to one of the major leagues in Europe is on the horizon, but there are still fears that he won’t be able to cope with the intensity of some league with the Premier League in focus. Players like Donny Van de Beek, Justin Kluivert, Dany Klassen, and even Memphis Depay have struggled in the league in recent times. Even legendary Arjen Robben had a had time in England before he made himself a superstar at Bayern Munich.
At just 5’7, Karlsson would count on his low centre of gravity to help him change pace quickly. He is extremely technical, which should make the transition to a bigger league easier. For now, he plans on living the dream at Alkmaar.