Fredrik Ulvestad’s soccer career spans 15 years. He played for 7 clubs in 6 countries winning 5 trophies. He also has 4 caps with Norway, where he witnessed Martin Odegaard and Erling Halaand’s first steps at senior NT level. Now he’s at Polish Ekstraklasa side Pogoń Szczecin, where he’s chasing the first ever trophy for the club and hopes to make it back to the NT and play at the World Cup.  

Playing to Win  

He played his first professional soccer game at 18 with Aalesund, a team from his hometown. A year later the club won its second ever Norwegian Cup. Earning his first career trophy with his home club was very special for Ulvestad. 

“That’s what you play for - to win games and trophies. And it doesn’t get much better than to do it as a homegrown.” 

Since then he has played for 6 clubs in 5 countries winning 4 more trophies. At Burnley it was Championship in 2015-16, followed by two titles in Sweden (2018-19 with Djurgardens) and finally a Turkish Cup in 2021-22 with Sivasspor.

“I don’t like to put them in any order. For me every one of them was a big one. I feel lucky to win all that, but I worked hard for it. It’s great to experience that success, but I am hungry for more.” 

Premier Players at Premier League

As a child his favorite team was Juventus and he dreamed of playing in Italy or any other top 5 league. A move to Burnley at 23 and playing with the likes of Danny Ings, Ben Mee or Kieran Trippier was a dream come true.

“All these clubs in England had top players and I am happy that I played with or against them. My first ever Premier League game was against Stoke City at home. They had a 34-year old Peter Crouch. He’s such a big guy!”

3 goals in 5 minutes

In February 2018 he landed at a Stockholm's side Djurgardens. 3 months later he won a cup and a year after he added a league title. On June 28 2020 in a game vs Kalmar he did something spectacular.

“In the span of just 5 minutes in the first half I scored a hattrick. It was my first ever 3 goal game. It was nice, but for me the big team wins are more important than individual accomplishments. Plus it was during COVID, so I did it in front of zero fans.” 

Is MLS in the Cards?

In 2021 he went to play in China, where his paths crossed with Romain Alessandrini. A Frenchman was signed from LA Galaxy. Ulvestad also played with Real Salt Lake’s Yura Movsissyan and Charlotte FC’s Scott Arfield and Ashley Westwood. He learned a few things about MLS from all of them.

“I had a few offers from America, but out of respect for the teams I will not disclose them. It wasn’t the best fit for me because the timing wasn’t right. However, never say never. The league is growing fast. Maybe I can still play there.” 

Look Out for Arda Guler!

In 2022 at Sivasspor he won the Turkish Cup. A year later they were eliminated in the semi-final by Fenerbahce. In the away game he played vs 18-year old Arda Guler. 

“That Fenerbahce team had a lot of great players, but - since I am a midfielder and he played as a 10 - I was told that he’s special. We played a few games against each other and I could see that he would be a great player. He had a big talent and there’s probably still more from him to come. It’s nice to reflect that I played against him, but I don’t think about it too much. It’s good that he’s doing well at Madrid and hopefully he’ll have a very good career.” 

For Fan Experience come to Poland!

During his career Ulvestad played in front of 40,000 supporters at Aston Villa, 50,000 at Newcastle, 60,000 at Arsenal or Man City. In Turkey he faced Fenerbahce, Besiktas, Galatasaray away. In Europe he played Slavia in Prague and at Fiorentina. But for fan experience he would not recommend going to England first.  

“It’s different and more quiet there because you have a lot of tourists. In Poland and in Sweden - because I played in crazy Stockholm derby games - it can get wild. Also in Turkey when playing vs Galatasaray. But in Poland, in Szczecin the atmosphere is great because we have hardcore fans and because of the way the stadium is built.” 

Odergaard and Halaand: The Beginning

In August 2014 Norway called him up for a friendly vs United Arab Emirates. He played 45 minutes in a 0:0 game, which also was a first for Martin Odegaard. At that time he drew comparisons to Messi or Michael Laudrup and CNN dubbed him “European football’s most coveted 15-year old.”

“The hype about Martin was the biggest ever for a Norwegian player. Even more than with Halaand. He was very talented and hardworking, but in the locker room he was shy. At 15 there was a lot of pressure on his shoulders. But he coped with it very well and as you can see now he’s doing great as the captain of Arsenal.”

Speaking of Erling Braut Halaand: in Euro 2020 qualifiers and the Nations League Group B 2020 campaign Ulvestad and the Man City striker were at a camp together. 

“We were supposed to play in the same game, but he got injured during the warm up. It was also one of his first national team call ups so he was humble and quiet. Maybe not as quiet as Odergaard, but he was simply trying to fit in. He seemed like a great guy, but outside of the pitch we didn’t interact much."

The current national team with Odegaard, Halaand and Alexander Sorloth is on its way to the 2026 World Cup. They lead the qualifying group ahead of Italy. Can they do better than a 1994-2000 squad - with players as: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Kjetil Rekdal, Tore Andre Flo or Henning Berg - that went on to play at 3 major tournaments: 2 World Cups and one Euro? 

“I don’t remember the 2000 team because it was just before I started watching TV. But now with the world-class players they can be the best ever. They can be the dark horse in the World Cup. Of course I am hoping to play there myself, but if not I hope they will have a good World Cup.” 

“Chasing” the World Cup Dream in Szczecin

“Pogoń” in Polish means “chasing”. Ulvestad is chasing the national team call up and his World Cup dream at… Pogoń Szczecin. Since 2023 he’s been a midfield mainstay there and is getting close to a 100 total games for the Pride of Pomorze team. 

“Everything is good here: stadium, training facilities, people. My family settled nicely here. When people and the club are good I cannot complain.” 

He also holds PKO BP Ekstraklasa - which, according to OPTA, recently climbed to top 10 in Europe - in high regard.

“Everything is in place for growth here. This league will get better and better. The top teams are already doing well in European competitions. And the bottom teams are very competitive, which makes the league very unpredictable. Any team can win on any day. Games are decided by very small margins. It’s exciting for the fans, who are loyal and passionate. Also Poland as a country is growing and doing very well.“

Despite a long history and decent form in the last decade Pogoń - unlike him - haven’t won any trophies. Two trips to cup finals in 2024-25 resulted in heartbreaking losses. But this year they knocked Legia out and are still very much alive in the Polish Cup competition. 

The defeats in the last two years were very hard to swallow, but the only thing you can do is look forward. Winning here would mean a lot not only for me, but also for the city. Hopefully we can do something special this year.

Will the recent signing of Benjamin Mendy - only the second World Cup winner in the history of Polish Ekstraklasa - help or will he be a distraction?

“I don't see it as a distraction because every good player is welcomed at Pogoń. He’s part of the squad and training with the team now and once he’s fully fit he will definitely bring quality.”