Bleon Kurtulus
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 June 2007 | ||
| Place of birth | Halmstad, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Malmö FF | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2016–2023 | Halmstads BK | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2024–2025 | Halmstads BK | 36 | (1) |
| 2026– | Malmö FF | 17 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2022–2024 | Sweden U17 | 22 | (0) |
| 2024–2025 | Sweden U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2025–2026 | Sweden U21 | 9 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 19 September 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 6 November 2026 | |||
Bleon Kurtulus (Albanian: Kurtulush, Turkish: Kurtuluş; born 24 June 2007) is a professional footballer who plays as a defender for Allsvenskan club Malmö FF. Born in Sweden, he represented that nation at youth international level before switching to represent Kosovo at senior international level.
Club career
Halmstads BK
Kurtulus joined his hometown club Halmstads BK's youth academy in 2016 and progressed through its ranks over the following seven years, representing the under-19 team before joining the senior squad in 2023. His older brother, Edvin, had also developed at the club before moving to Hammarby IF.
In June 2023, aged 15, Kurtulus signed a three-year professional contract with Halmstads BK, with plans to join the first-team squad in January 2024.
Kurtulus made his professional debut on 25 April 2024, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 home victory against Hammarby in the 2024 Allsvenskan. The match also marked the first senior competitive meeting between Kurtulus and his older brother Edvin, who was playing for Hammarby.
During the 2024 season, he made eight league appearances and also featured in the Svenska Cupen. On 15 October 2024, he was included in The Guardian's Next Generation 2024 list, featuring 60 young footballers born in 2007.
In the 2025 season, Kurtulus made 28 league appearances and scored one goal. He was nominated for Young Player of the Year at the 2025 Allsvenskans Stora Pris, alongside Ludwig Malachowski Thorell of Mjällby AIF and Noah Tolf of IFK Göteborg.
Malmö FF
On 3 February 2026, Kurtulus joined fellow Allsvenskan club Malmö FF from Halmstads BK, signing a five-year contract. He had made 36 league appearances for Halmstads BK before the transfer and was assigned shirt number 4 at Malmö. Halmstads BK also confirmed the transfer, with the club's chief executive, Jesper Westerberg, stating that the agreement included a sell-on clause for the club.
Kurtulus made his debut for Malmö FF on 8 March 2026, coming on as a 64th-minute substitute for Theodor Lundbergh in a 2–1 win over his former club Halmstads BK in the group stage of the 2025–26 Svenska Cupen at Eleda Stadion.
International career
Sweden
Kurtulus represented Sweden at under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels, serving as captain of the U17 side. Between 2022 and 2024, he made 22 appearances for the Sweden U17 and was included in the squad for the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Cyprus. He subsequently made six appearances for the U19 between 2024 and 2025 before progressing to the U21, for which he recorded nine appearances from 2025 to 2026.
During his time with the U21 side, Kurtulus featured in the European Under-21 Championship qualifying campaign, forming part of the team's defence alongside fellow Malmö FF player Nils Zätterström. His final appearance for Sweden U21 came against Finland U21 on 4 June 2026, bringing his total youth international appearances for Sweden to 37.
Kosovo
On 6 November 2026, Kurtulus received a call-up from the Kosovo senior national team for the 2026–27 UEFA Nations League matches against Israel and the Republic of Ireland. His call-up came more than four years after his older brother, Edvin, who had previously represented Kosovo at under-21 level, declined a call-up to the senior team in May 2022 and opted to represent Sweden instead.
Personal life
Kurtulus was born in Halmstad, Sweden to a family with roots in Prizren. His grandparents had emigrated from Kosovo to Turkey as muhaxhir, where they adopted the surname Kurtuluş (meaning "liberation" in Turkish) under the Turkish Surname Law. In the 1960s, his family migrated to Sweden, where Kurtulus' father was born.
Kurtulus has two brothers who are also footballers. His older brother, Edvin, is a Swedish international defender who has played for Halmstads BK, Hammarby IF and Bulgarian club Ludogorets Razgrad, while his other brother, Egon, has played for Hammarby Talang, BK Astrio and Eskilsminne IF in the Ettan.
In January 2024, Kurtulus spoke about his decision to remain at Halmstads BK, citing his family, friends and education in Halmstad as among the reasons for staying at the club. He also discussed the support he received from his older brother Edvin, who regularly offered him advice before matches, and from Halmstad defender Andreas Johansson, whom he described as a father figure in football.
Career statistics
Club
- As of 19 September 2026
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Halmstad | 2024 | Allsvenskan | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2025 | Allsvenskan | 28 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 31 | 1 | ||
| Total | 36 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 40 | 1 | |||
| Malmö FF | 2026 | Allsvenskan | 13 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 16 | 2 | |
| Career total | 49 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 3 | ||
- Notes
- 1 2 3 Appearances in the Svenska Cupen
References
- 1 2 Bleon Kurtulus at WorldFootball.net
- 1 2 "Officiellt: HBK skriver kontrakt med Bleon Kurtulus" [Official: HBK signs contract with Bleon Kurtulus]. Fotbollskanalen.se (in Swedish). 21 June 2023.
- ↑ Johan Cedervall (26 April 2024). "16-årige Kurtulus i tårar efter drömdebuten – fick möta sin storebror" [16-year-old Kurtulus in tears after his dream debut – got to meet his big brother] (in Swedish). SVT Sport.
- ↑ Hector Junelind (26 April 2024). "Kurtulus-brödernas känslosamma stund: "Tårarna kom"" [The Kurtulus brothers’ emotional moment: "The tears came"] (in Swedish). Expressen.
- ↑ Christenson, Marcus; Bloor, Steven; Blight, Garry (15 October 2024). "Next Generation 2024: 60 of the best young talents in world football". The Guardian.
- ↑ "De är nominerade till Allsvenskans Stora Pris 2025" [These are the nominees for Allsvenskans Grand Prize 2025] (in Swedish). Allsvenskan. 14 November 2025.
- 1 2 "Bleon Kurtulus skriver på för Malmö FF" [Bleon Kurtulus signs for Malmö FF] (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 3 February 2026.
- ↑ "Bleon lämnar HBK för Malmö FF" [Bleon leaves HBK for Malmö FF] (in Swedish). Halmstads BK. 3 February 2026.
- ↑ "Malmö FF vs. Halmstads BK - 2026-03-08" (in Swedish). Malmö FF. 8 March 2026.
- ↑ Makoto Asahara (25 May 2024). "Halmstad BK:s Bleon Kurtulus om stödet från storebror Edvin Kurtulus" [Halmstad BK’s Bleon Kurtulus on the support from his older brother Edvin Kurtulus] (in Swedish). Aftonbladet.
- ↑ "Bleon Kurtulus uttagen till Kosovos landslag" [Bleon Kurtulus called up to Kosovo’s national team] (in Swedish). Fotbollskanalen.se. 6 November 2026.
- ↑ "Foda publikon listën e futbollistëve për ndeshjet kundër Izraelit dhe Irlandës" [Foda announces squad for matches against Israel and Ireland] (in Albanian). Football Federation of Kosovo. 6 November 2026.
- ↑ "Kurtulus braktis Kosovën për Suedinë, Giresse: Jam i zhgënjyer me vendimin e tij" [Kurtulus leaves Kosovo for Sweden, Giresse: I'm disappointed with his decision] (in Albanian). Football Federation of Kosovo. 27 May 2022.
- ↑ "Edvin Kurtulus vill representera Sverige" [Edvin Kurtulus wants to represent Sweden] (in Swedish). Swedish Football Association. 27 May 2022.
- ↑ Kosovan Football [@kosovanfooty_en] (29 August 2020). "A new name seen in the #Kosovo U21 squad: Edvin Kurtulus! Born in Sweden, but of family origin from Prizren, the 20 y/o right back is a regular starter for Halmstad BK. Welcome home young man!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ↑ "Profilen: Edvin Kurtulus" [Profile: Edvin Kurtulus] (in Swedish). Halmstads BK. 12 March 2020.
- 1 2 Makoto Asahara (25 May 2024). "Bleon Kurtulus om stödet från brorsan Edvin" [Bleon Kurtulus about the support from his brother Edvin] (in Swedish). Aftonbladet.
- ↑ "Bleon Kurtulus: "Det är detta som jag har krigat och tränat för varje dag"" [Bleon Kurtulus: "This is what I have fought and trained for every day"] (in Swedish). Fotbolltransfers.com. 16 January 2024.
- ↑ Bleon Kurtulus at Soccerway
External links
- Bleon Kurtulus at Soccerway.com
- Bleon Kurtulus at Kicker (in German)
- Bleon Kurtulus at the Swedish Football Association (in Swedish)
