Top facts about Kim Källström, 15 minutes hero

Kim Mikael Källström (born 24 August 1982) is a former Swedish professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He was known for his ability to create plays and take free kicks.

Kim Källström’s age

is 39.

An important fact about Kim Källström is that he began his career in Sweden, where he won consecutive Allsvenskan championships with Djurgrden, before transferring to France to play for Rennes and

. Källström was a domestic champion with Lyon before joining Spartak Moscow in 2012.

He was on loan at Arsenal for the second part of the 2013–14 season, when he won the FA Cup after converting a penalty in the quarterfinal. Källström departed Spartak in 2015 to join

, where he played 49 games before joining Djurgrdens IF alongside close friend Andreas Isaksson to finish his career.

Källström gained 131 caps for Sweden between his debut in 2001 and his retirement from international football in 2016, making him the country's fourth most capped player. He competed in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and four European Championships (Euro 2004, Euro 2008, Euro 2012, and Euro 2016).

Top facts about Kim Källström:

Källström began his football career in 1989 with Sandvikens IF. A year later, he was transferred to Partille IF's youth department, where he remained until 1996. In his youth, he also enjoyed playing ice hockey.

Following the discovery of Källström's talent by those in charge at BK Häcken, he was assigned to the youth team of the then-second division team in spring 1997, where his father Mikael, himself a midfielder at Gefle IF and Sandvikens IF, was a member of the coaching staff. His father served as his personal trainer at times.

Kim Källström early life

Kim Källström was born on August 24, 1982, in Sandviken, Sweden. Speaking about

Kim Källström’s parents

, it is worth mentioning that his father was a footballer, Mikael and his mother was Ann Källström.

Regarding

Kim Källström’s childhood

, it should be mentioned that he joined the Sandvikens IF football squad in 1986. Källström joined Partille IF when the family relocated to Partille outside of Gothenburg in 1989. Källström had a tryout with Dutch team PSV when he was 17 years old.

Kim Källström personal life

Källstrom has been married since 2008 to Erica, with whom he has been together since his teens. They have two children. Kim Källström is a cousin of the national team player in bandy Johan Östblom.

Kim Källström participated in Mästarnas Mästare 2020 and reached the final program, where he finished fourth. During the European Football Championship 2021, Kim was an expert on site in Cmore / TV4 studio.

Kim Källström professional career

Källström made his debut for BK Hacken in the second-tier Division 1 Södra in 1999 as a 16-year-old. Coach Kjell Pettersson used him as a regular, and by the end of the season, he was with the club season winner ahead of local rivals GAIS, so the team rose to the Allsvenskan. Källström was named rets nykomling at the end of the 2000 season (Swedish: "Young Player of the Year").

Källström was nominated for Sweden's internationals against the Faroe Islands on January 31 and Finland on February 1, 2001 by national team coaches Tommy Söderberg and Lars Lagerbäck.

Following the previous day's 0-0 draw with the Faroe Islands, in which players such as

and Erik Edman made their debuts, Källström made his national team debut in the 1-0 defeat by Finland, alongside debutants Sharbel Touma and Petter Hansson.

As the season progressed, in his second season in the top flight, Källström scored eight goals. Despite this, the Gothenburg club finished the second division as table penultimate. He then left the club and moved to Djurgrdens IF in the Allsvenskan, where he believes "the most beautiful football was played".

The coaching duo of Zoran Luki and Sören Keby had led Djurgrdens IF back to the Allsvenskan in 2000, where the newly promoted team finished runners-up to Hammarby IF.

Källström and the young team, which included Andreas Isaksson, Jones Kusi-Asare, and Louay Chanko, won the league and national cup double in 2002.

Kim Källström club career

Källström started his professional career in Gothenburg with BK Häcken. The team won the Division 1 Södra in his debut season, gaining promotion to the Allsvenskan. In 2001, Häcken were relegated to the Superettan, but Källström's eight Allsvenskan goals earned him a SEK5 million transfer to Djurgrdens IF.

IF Djurgrdens

Källström was the team's leading scorer with 12 league goals in his debut season at Djurgrden, winning the Allsvenskan and the national cup event Svenska Cupen.

In 2003, the squad successfully defended their Allsvenskan championship, with Källström scoring 14 goals to lead the club and rank second in Sweden. During the 2002–03 UEFA Cup, he scored twice in games against

and Copenhagen.

Rennais Stadium

Källström transferred to the French Ligue 1 team Stade Rennais in the January 2004 transfer window. He made his club debut against Angers in the Coupe de France on January 4 and his first Ligue 1 game against Toulouse on January 10 in a 2–0 loss.

An important fact about Kim Källström is that he scored his first goal in French football a week later in a 4–0 victory against Sochaux on the Route de Lorient.

He scored seven goals in 18 appearances in the 2003–04 season, including two in a 4–1 away triumph over Champions League finalists AS Monaco.

Källström scored five goals in 31 Ligue 1 appearances in 2004–05, helping Rennes finish fourth and qualify for the UEFA Cup the following season.

In a 3–1 loss against

on February 5, 2005, he earned his first red card in French football.

He scored a career-high eight Ligue 1 goals in 2005–06, with several of them coming against some of France's greatest teams.

Rennes received an offer of roughly €8 million from league winners Olympique Lyonnais in June 2006. Källström scored 20 goals in 83 league games during his two-and-a-half year stay with Rennes.

Lyonnais

A notable

fact about Kim Kallstrom

is that he joined Lyon in June 2006 after a successful period with Rennes, and went on to win a series of trophies with the southern club.

On his Lyon debut, he scored the equalizer as the Gones won the Trophée des Champions on penalties over

. He made his league debut against Nantes five days later, winning 3–1.

Källström scored his first Lyon goal in a 3–0 Champions League victory against Dynamo Kyiv on October 17, 2006. After going undefeated in the group stage — including a win against nine-time winners Real Madrid at the Stade de Gerland. Lyon was eliminated by Roma in the round of 16.

Källström scored his first Ligue 1 goal in a 4–1 Choc des Olympiques rivalry victory against Marseille at the Stade Vélodrome on October 22.

As Lyon won the French title for the sixth consecutive season, he scored more goals in league triumphs over Saint-Étienne and Nancy. In March 31, 2008, he came on as a 68th-minute replacement in the 2008 Coupe de la Ligue Final, which Lyon lost 1–0 to Girondins de Bordeaux.

Valencia were said to be interested in signing Källström from Lyon, who refused to sell despite a €13 million bid. Källström stayed in Lyon and was sent off in the second round of the Ligue 1 season for spitting at a linesman during a 1–0 defeat to Toulouse.

In a 3–0 defeat over Lens on September 29, 2007, he scored his first goal of the season. He scored again in a 3–1 triumph against Bordeaux a week later.

He scored in a 4–2 Champions League rout against VfB Stuttgart on November 8. Lyon, on the other hand, were eliminated in the round of 16 in March 2008, losing 2–1 on aggregate to eventual champions

.

A notable fact about Kim Källström is that he scored two goals and assisted on another as Lyon defeated Strasbourg 5–0 at the Gerland on December 2, 2007.

Källström scored in a 3–1 victory against Auxerre on the last day of the regular season to secure his seventh league championship.

He made his debut in the 2008 Coupe de France Final on May 28, when Lyon beat Paris Saint-Germain 1–0 at the Stade de France to achieve the club's first league and cup double.

Källström's first goal of the 2008–09 season came in a 2–1 victory against title rivals Bordeaux on November 16, 2008, putting Lyon seven points ahead at the top of the Ligue 1 standings.

On March 1, 2009, he scored his only other goal in a 1–1 tie with his old club Rennes. OL finished third in the standings due to poor late-season play, with Bordeaux winning the title on the last day of the season. During the 2009–10 season, Källström scored four goals in Ligue 1.

On October 3, 2009, he scored his first goal in a 2–0 victory against Lens. He scored twice in a 3–1 victory against Lorient on January 20, 2010. On the last matchday of the season, he scored his final goal in a 2–2 tie with Valenciennes. He debuted in a 5–5 Choc des Olympiques tie with Marseille on November 8, 2009.

OM went on to win the league, with Lyon finishing second six points behind. Lyon had their most successful season in the Champions League in the 2009–10 season.

Källström scored in a 4–0 victory against Debreceni VSC, making eleven appearances in all to assist les Gones reach the semi-finals, when they were defeated by

.

In addition to his preferred midfield position, Källström offered cover at left-back on occasion in 2010–11. In Ligue 1, he scored three goals, including the equalizer in a 1–1 tie against eventual winners Lille. Källström's last season with the club was 2011–12. In Ligue 1, he made 32 appearances without scoring.

He scored one goal and assisted on another as Lyon defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3–1 at the Parc des Princes in the Coupe de France quarterfinals.

OL advanced to the 2012 Coupe de France Final after a 4–0 win against Gazélec Ajaccio in the semi-finals, where Källström played the whole 90 minutes in a 1–0 victory over Quevilly.

A notable

fact about Kim Källström

is that he scored in the quarter-final defeat against Lille to help Lyon reach the final of the 2011–12 Coupe de la Ligue. However, a 1–0 extra-time loss against Marseille destroyed Lyon's prospects of a cup double.

Källström departed Lyon after six seasons in August 2012. He played 283 times for the club, earning two Ligue 1 championships, two Coupes de France, and two Trophées des Champions in the process. On two occasions, he finished second in the Coupe de la Ligue.

Spartak Moscow FC

Källström signed a three-year contract with FC Spartak Moscow on July 28, 2012, for €3 million plus €600,000 in prospective add-ons.

In a 2–2 tie with Kuban Krasnodar on September 15, he made his Russian Premier League debut. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win against Amkar Perm on September 29.

He appeared in all of Spartak's UEFA Champions League group matches in the 2012–13 season, getting a red card in a 2–1 loss to Celtic on December 5, 2012.

Arsenal

Källström joined Arsenal on loan for the rest of the 2013–14 season on January 31, 2014. Despite a back issue detected during his physical, Källström opted to join Arsenal and complete his recuperation there.

Källström made his Premier League debut for Arsenal on March 25 against Swansea City, coming in as a 79th-minute replacement for Tomá Rosick.

Two weeks later, he made his FA Cup semi-final debut against reigning winners Wigan Athletic. He came in as an extra-time substitute and scored Arsenal's second penalty kick in their 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory, advancing them to the final.

Källström went on to call this "the most incredible 15 minutes of my life." He made his first start for Arsenal three days later in a 3–1 win against

.

Arsenal went on to win the FA Cup, although Källström was absent from the final matchday roster. Källström's loan stay at Arsenal came to an end at the conclusion of the season, after he made four appearances in all competitions. Despite making just four games for Arsenal, Källström says he loved his time there.

Grasshoppers

A notable fact about Kim Källström is that he left Spartak Moscow after three years and joined with Swiss Super League team Grasshopper Club Zürich on June 6, 2015.

On November 29, 2015, he scored his sole goal for the club, the game-winning goal in a 5–0 victory against local rivals FC Zürich. When Källström arrived to the team, he was also given the title of captain.

Källström wished to leave Grasshoppers after one and a half years, citing personal reasons and disappointment with the club's achievements. On January 31, 2017, he mutually agreed to conclude his contract with the club.

Djurgrdens IF

Källström signed a two-year contract with Djurgrdens IF in the Allsvenskan on February 10th. Källström was given his old number 16 right away.

The club's announcement of Källström's signing caused the official Djurgrden website, "dif.se," to collapse owing to the high volume of visitors. Källström announced his retirement from football on December 15, 2017, after playing 28 league games and collecting three goals and seven assists.

Kim Källström international career

Källström first played for Sweden against

in 2001. He was selected for the UEFA Euro 2004, 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008, and UEFA Euro 2012 tournaments by Sweden. He also scored the first goal in Sweden's 3–2 victory against the Netherlands, which qualified the Blgult for Euro 2012.

A notable fact about Kim Källström is that he came in as a half-time replacement for Pontus Wernbloom in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Germany on 16 October 2012, with Sweden losing 0–3. Despite surrendering another goal, Sweden won a 4–4 draw thanks to three assists from him.

In the rematch against Germany, Källström aided Max (a team mascot with Williams Syndrome) through his big moment, which has gone viral on social media sites that are generally dominated by the negative and cynical sides of 'the beautiful game.'

After Euro 2016, Källström resigned from the national team after 131 caps and 16 goals. He has the fourth most caps for Sweden.

Kim Källström style of play

Källström, a central midfielder who could also play as a wide midfielder on the left side of midfield, had the ability to play as a deep-lying playmaker or as a more offensive impact. His left-footed free kick skill was also well-known.

Kim Källström Arsenal legacy

Arsenal was second in the Premier League at the end of January 2014, only one point behind league leaders Manchester City.

The Gunners were anxious to overcome a nine-year trophy drought, with their previous triumph coming against Manchester United in the 2005 FA Cup Final.

For the first time since 1996, pressure was building on Arsenal manager

, and many supporters were asking for a change in management.

Despite this, Wenger remained as devoted to his position as ever, and the urge to buy a player grew as the transfer deadline approached.

The north London team was establishing a genuine championship campaign, and the matches were piling up after progressing in the early rounds of both the FA Cup and the Champions League.

Injury and suspensions began to take their toll on Arsenal as a consequence of the club's hectic schedule.

Aaron Ramsey had been an outstanding player for Arsenal until he sustained a thigh injury against West Ham in December, and Jack Wilshere was also sidelined.

After a five-year career with AC Milan, Mathieu Flamini returned to the club as cover in the summer window, but he was banned for the next three games after a red card against Southampton.

Arsenal had been connected with Schalke's Julian Draxler throughout the whole of the January transfer season, but Wenger stated the move would not be completed on transfer deadline day.

‘The Draxler crisis was manufactured by the journalists, not by me,’ he claimed. ‘He'll remain at Schalke.’

While the news about Draxler was distressing for Arsenal supporters, Wenger remained sure that at least one deal would be made before the window closed.

The player Wenger was referring to was Spartak Moscow's Kim Kallstrom, according to Russian media agencies.

Arsenal confirmed Kallstrom's entrance on a short-term loan until the end of the season on deadline day. The Sweden international, who was 31 years old, was brought in to help bolster a threadbare midfield.

Kallstrom began his career in Sweden, but spent the most of his playing days in France, with Rennes and subsequently Lyon, where he won several awards before relocating to Russia.

He sustained a back injury while playing beach football at Spartak Moscow's mid-season winter break in Abu Dhabi, just days after signing with Arsenal.

The most perplexing aspect of the trade was Arsenal's knowledge of Kallstrom's injury when he came for his physical, but they opted to proceed with the transaction regardless.

‘I'm convinced that if you've played football, you can have played with a micro fracture of a vertebra without knowing it,’ Wenger remarked when asked about the Swede's injury by the media. ‘You're not even aware of it.’

‘I considered not finishing the transaction, but I would not have signed him if we had two or three more days to work things out. It was 5 p.m. on a Friday night, and it was either sign him or nothing.’

With Kallstrom ruled out of the games he was called in to cover, Arsenal supporters were worried that he would never play for the club again.

He made the bench for Arsene Wenger's 1,000th game in command of the club, a 6-0 loss away to London rivals Chelsea, some two months after his arrival.

He made his first appearance for the club a few days later, coming off the bench in the 79th minute of a 2-2 tie against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium.

Although still only six points behind league leaders

, the championship ambitions of January had faded; games were running out, and both Liverpool and Manchester City had games in hand over Arsenal.

Arsenal had been eliminated from the Champions League by Bayern Munich, and the FA Cup was now their greatest chance of winning a trophy.

Arsenal have advanced to the competition's semi-finals, where they will face holders Wigan Athletic at Wembley.

Kallstrom's greatest performance of his short Arsenal tenure would come in the semi-final. With little under half an hour left in regular time, Jordi Gomez scored from the penalty spot to give Wigan a surprising lead.

Arsenal's blushes were saved when Per Mertesacker scored a stunning late equalizer to force extra time. Wenger sent on Kallstrom for the last seven minutes of extra time as the game was going into penalties.

Despite Arsenal's best efforts, which included a half-chance for Kallstrom, the semi-final ended in a penalty shootout.

of Arsenal was a frequent penalty taker at the time, so it was no surprise to see him take the first penalty for the Gunners. Wigan's Jack Collison was denied by goalie Lukasz Fabianski as he converted from the spot.

Most Arsenal supporters were surprised to learn that their next penalty taker would be Kallstrom, a player they had seen very little of since his arrival from Spartak Moscow.

Kallstrom strode up to the spot calmly, shot the ball beyond Scott Carson, and moved Arsenal closer to the final.

The rest was up to his teammates, with Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla hitting penalty penalties to seal Arsenal's return to Wembley for the final a month later.

Three days after the semi-final, Kallstrom played a full 90 minutes against West Ham, and a month later, he made his last game for the club in a 1-0 victory against West Brom.

Arsenal went on to win the title in dramatic fashion, defeating Hull City 3-2 in extra time in the final after falling down two goals in the first ten minutes.

Despite the fact that he was brought in to make a more important impact, some Arsenal supporters see Kallstrom as a cult hero.

The circumstances surrounding his arrival at the club were amusing, and his cameo debut against Wigan at Wembley is still remembered.

The midfielder had an illustrious career, winning several championships in both Sweden and France and collecting a total of 131 caps for his country.

In a 2020 interview with Arsenal's official website, Kallstrom summed up his tenure with the club:

‘I'd say the penalty is right up there in terms of career highlights. Mostly because of the club's size, but also because it was such an odd occasion. It's unlike any other championship or title I've won in France since you struggle for 11 months to get the trophy.’

'I see people making jokes about my time here on the internet, but I think it's a lot of fun. There are many players who have contributed significantly more to Arsenal than I have, but there are also many players who have contributed significantly less in a significantly longer period of time!’

Some more facts about Kim Källström:

An important fact about Kim Källström is that he helped with this by scoring twelve goals this season and establishing himself in the national team. He also drew interest from clubs outside of Sweden, with AC Parma,

, and Hertha BSC all expressing interest in signing him.

Nonetheless, he stayed with the club and played a key role in the club's successful defense of the championship title the following season, scoring 14 goals. He left Sweden at the end of the 2003 season as the second-best Allsvenskan goalscorer.

Despite reports of interest from top European clubs such as AC Milan, Manchester United, Ajax Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven, Lazio Roma, and

, he chose Stade Rennes in France's Ligue 1 as his first overseas stop.

Here, he quickly established himself as a regular in attacking midfield and scored his first goal for his new club in his second appearance, a 4-0 win over FC Sochaux, with the goal for the final score in the 84th minute of a competitive game.

He scored seven goals in 18 games in the second half of the 2003/04 season, becoming the club's second-highest goalscorer behind Swiss striker Alexander Frei (19 goals). Above all, his hard shot resulted in goals and was widely lauded in the press.

Söderberg and Lagerbäck considered Källström for the first time in a major tournament in the summer of 2004. He first appeared as a substitute at the 2004 European Championships before making his debut as a starter in the 2-2 draw against Denmark in the final group game.

In the quarter-final against the Dutch national team, he came on as a substitute, and in the shoot-out, he took the first penalty against Edwin van der Sar and converted. Sweden was eliminated after Olof Mellberg and Ibrahimovi both missed shots after Phillip Cocu hit the post.

Källström remained in the starting eleven in his second season at Stade Rennais under Coach László Bölöni. He finished fourth with the team, along with Jacques Faty, Olivier Monterrubio, Abdeslam Ouaddou, and Olivier Sorlin, and fellow Swede Isaksson, and qualified for the 2005–06 UEFA Cup.

He appeared in four games for the team, but as the bottom of Group G, they were eliminated without gaining a point, trailing Rapid Bucharest and VfB Stuttgart with only one goal scored.

Källström, on the other hand, was one of the team's pillars in Ligue 1 and appeared in the majority of league games. Despite his eight goals this season, the club finished seventh in the table, just missing out on qualifying for European competitions.

Lagerbäck, who is now solely in charge of the Swedish national team, chose Källström for the team's second tournament, the 2006 World Cup in Germany. He was on the bench for the first group game, a 0-0 draw against Trinidad and Tobago, before coming on in the 79th minute to replace Tobias Linderoth.

He started the following two group games, a 2-0 win over Paraguay and a 2-2 draw with England. He also appeared early in Germany's 2-0 defeat, but was replaced by defender Hansson in the 39th minute after Teddy Lui received a yellow card.

Following the World Cup, Källström joined Ligue 1 champions Olympique Lyon. The transfer fee was estimated to be around seven million euros.

An important fact about Kim Källström is that he had some growing pains in his first season in the league, making 33 appearances, 13 of which were as a substitute. He also made six appearances in the Champions League in 2006/07.

At the end of the season, he was crowned French champion, and he won the Trophée des Champions with a 2-1 victory over cup winners FC Sochaux.

Even in his second season in Lyon, he was unable to establish himself as a regular starter. In contrast to his previous clubs, he was less of a goalscorer and more of a preparer for his new employer.

Lagerbäck nominated him for his third tournament in a row in the summer of 2008, but at the 2008 European Championships, he was only one of the backup players, making two brief appearances against Spain and Russia. After the preliminary round, the national selection began their journey home as the third team in the group.

After returning to Olympique after the tournament, Källström was only a part-time starter and was mostly used as a substitute in the Champions League.

For long stretches of the season, he played alongside Michel Bastos, Jérémy Toulalan, and Ederson to establish himself as a regular on the left side of midfield.

He scored two goals in 32 games for the previous year's series champions, but it was only good enough for third place in the table behind champions Girondins Bordeaux and Olympique Marseille.

He played both games in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League play-off placement path, as the team won both games with two clear victories over Belgian representative

.

He went on to be a regular in European competition, scoring in a 4-0 away win against Hungarian champions VSC Debrecen in the group stage, and the league, while trailing Denmark with Sweden in World Cup 2010 qualifiers in autumn 2009, and Portugal, third in the group, failed.

With the club, he reached the Champions League semi-finals, where the team was eliminated by Bayern Munich, but he qualified for the European Premier League again as runner-up. He also finished third in the 2010/11 season as a regular player alongside Yoann Gourcuff, Lisandro López, Michel Bastos, and Jérémy Toulalan.

Källström was a member of Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League from 2012 to 2015. Källström joined Arsenal on loan in the Premier League until the end of the 2013–14 season on January 31, 2014.

Källström had a contract with Grasshopper Club Zurich in the Swiss Super League since the summer of 2015, where he was captain.

He finished fourth with the club in 2015–16, making him eligible for UEFA Europa League qualifying in 2016–17. In the Swiss Cup 2015/16, the Grasshoppers were eliminated in the second round by FC Köniz of the third division.

Grasshoppers announced on January 31, 2017, that Källström would be leaving the club despite having a contract until 2018. For personal reasons, he desired to return to his homeland. The transfer to his former club Djurgrdens IF was finally confirmed on February 10, 2017.

An important

fact about Kim Källström

is that he was named to Sweden's squad for the European Football Championship in France in 2016. He was a member of the starting eleven and played the full 90 minutes in all games.

The tournament ended with the team finishing at the bottom of the table after the group stage. After the final game, Källström and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who had announced their retirement a few days earlier, as well as goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson, who had announced his retirement in March, announced their retirement from the national team.

Källström has the fourth most caps for the Swedes, with 131. After one season with Djurgrdens, he ended his active club career on December 15, 2017.

Kim Källström social media

Regarding

Kim Källström social media

, it should be mentioned that he has an Instagram page (

) with 9k followers. On the page, we can see various pictures of him along with his fans and family.

Kim Källström body measurements

Speaking about

Kim Källström body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the former player is 185cm and 79kg.

Kim Källström net worth and salary

Kim Källström's net worth

is estimated to be around $9 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.

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