As a player, he represented Malmö FF, Atalanta, IFK Göteborg, Esbjerg fB, Hansa Rostock, Stabæk, and Landskrona BoIS during a career that spanned between 1992 and 2010.
Born in Helsingborg, Persson began his career as a youth-team player with Högaborgs BK before moving to Malmö FF in 1992.
He returned to Sweden after less than two seasons in Italy, having very rarely played for Atalanta's first-team, joining IFK Göteborg in January 1998.
[2] At the end of the 1999 season, Persson left IFK Göteborg in order to escape the intense scrutiny he had been subjected to.
Along with Andreas Jakobsson, Marcus Lantz, Peter Wibrån, Magnus Arvidsson and Rade Prica, Persson was one of six Swedes playing for the Mecklenburg club.
Following Hansa Rostock's relegation, Persson left the club to join Stabæk in Norway's Tippeligaen.
[5] In June 2023 Persson left Varberg to becamoe new manager of the Danish club AC Horsens.