Fredrik Ljungberg
Encyclopedia
Karl Fredrik "Freddie" Ljungberg (ˈfreːdrɪk ˈjɵŋˌbærj) (born 16 April 1977 in Vittsjö
, Sweden
) is a Swedish footballer who currently plays as a right winger for Shimizu S-Pulse
in Japan
. Ljungberg was captain of the Swedish national team
until he announced his international retirement after UEFA Euro 2008.
Ljungberg was a model for Calvin Klein
underwear until 2007. He previously represented brands such as Nike
, Procter & Gamble
, L'Oreal
and currently represents Puma
, ESPN
and Pepsi
, as well as running his own blog since October 2009.
, Sweden
to parents Roy Alve Erling Ljungberg, a civil engineer and owner of a construction and consultant business, and Elisabeth Bodil Ljungberg, a Swedish Labor Department worker. On 12 September 1984, the Ljungbergs had another son, Karl Oskar Filip. In 1982, the Ljungberg family left Vittsjö and moved to Halmstad
. At first, the tenacious 5 year old would not have any part of moving. Fredrik argued with his parents that he did not want to live in Halmstad. His parents relented and took him to Halmstads BK
where he played on the youth team under Olle Eriksson.
From the time he was 5–14, Ljungberg was coached by Eriksson. Eriksson’s impression of the youngster was that he was remarkably talented for his age and that he was considerate of other players noting that Ljungberg would pass the ball to his friends so that they would have a chance to score. Ljungberg credits Eriksson for having a profound effect on his career as well as Brazilian football player, Sócrates
. Also in his youth, he enjoyed playing ice hockey
and developed a talent for handball
; he was eventually called up to the national handball team, but decided to focus his attentions on football.
Ljungberg did well in academic subjects as well as sports. When he finished 9th grade his marks averaged 4.1 on the 5 point scale. At 18, Ljungberg decided to attend university to study information technology and economics but struggled to balance the hectic academic timetable with the physically demanding commitments of professional football. Eventually, he quit university to concentrate on his football career.
to move him from p12 to p14 which was against Halmstad's policies at the time. At age 14, Ljungberg joined the junior team under coach Robert Nordström. His perseverance paid off because three years later he was moved up to the senior team.
Ljungberg made his senior debut on 23 October 1994 in the Allsvenskan
against AIK
. In 1995, Ljungberg played 31 games in which he scored his first goal as a professional player. That same year Halmstad won the Swedish Cup. In 1997, Halmstad won the Allsvenskan and Ljungberg scored goals that year despite being injured. During his time with Halmstad, he went on to make 139 appearances and score 16 goals for the club. He won both the Swedish Cup and League title with the club. After two years with Halmstad, Ljungberg’s star was on the rise with interest from Barcelona
, Chelsea
, Aston Villa
, Parma
and Arsenal
.
Ljungberg was signed by Arsenal
in 1998 for £3 million, which at the time was the highest transfer fee for a Swedish player. Arsenal scouts watched him for over a year and Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger
, took the unusual step of authorising the signing after watching Ljungberg play for Sweden
in their victory against England
on television, without seeing him play live. Seeing Ljungberg’s performance against England only confirmed to Wenger that Ljungberg could cope against English opponents and was signed shortly after. Ljungberg proved himself without difficulty and scored on his debut on 20 September after coming on as a substitute against rival club Manchester United
, the match ending 3–0.
Some of Ljungberg's best form came in the second half of the 2001–02 season
, when Arsenal won their second Premier League
and FA Cup
double
. Following a knee injury to Robert Pirès
, Ljungberg scored in most of Arsenal's remaining games, including a stunning finish for Arsenal's second goal in the 2–0 FA Cup Final
win over Chelsea
. Ljungberg had scored many important and vital goals for Arsenal throughout the season. He scored an equaliser against Manchester United. Arsenal went on to win this game 3–1. He was instrumental in Arsenals 2–1 win against Liverpool at Anfield where he won a penalty in which Thierry Henry scored and then he slotted in a sweet finish from a Robert Pires cross. He scored an identical goal again Against Liverpool at Highbury 3 weeks later. The matched ended up being 1–1 draw. Ljungberg ended the 2001/2002 season scoring 17 goals in all competitions.
He endeared himself to Arsenal supporters by having a bright red stripe in his hair. (A popular chant spawned from this to the tune of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You
" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: "We love you Freddie, because you've got red hair, we love you Freddie because you're everywhere, we love you Freddie, you're Arsenal through and through" Later when he shaved his head this was updated to "We love you Freddie, because you've got no hair").
Ljungberg was the first player to score a goal at an FA Cup
final outside England
, when Arsenal lost against Liverpool
in 2001 at the Millennium Stadium
in Cardiff
. A year later, against Chelsea
, he became the first player to score in consecutive FA Cup Final
s. He also scored a penalty in the shootout in Arsenal's 2005 FA Cup Final victory over Manchester United.
He is most comfortable on either wing in midfield, though he can also play centrally in a 4–5–1 formation or as a second striker. Ljungberg became a regular in Arsenal's starting lineup following the departure of Emmanuel Petit
and Marc Overmars
in the summer of 2000. For several seasons he played a major role for the club including being a member of the unbeaten 49 game run for Arsenal. He had to fight with constant injury problems and occasionally severe bouts with migraine
s; in 2005 a persistent hip injury led to fears he may have contracted cancer, which were unfounded. It transpired that he was suffering from blood poisoning caused by his large tattoos.
Despite a persistent ankle injury, Ljungberg played for Arsenal in the 2–1 defeat by Barcelona
in the Champions League Final
in Paris on 17 May 2006.
It was speculated in January 2007 that Ljungberg was being forced to leave Arsenal
, after bosses became tired of a run of injuries restricting his play. "Ljungberg still has a lot to offer to Arsenal," Arsené Wenger said, on 13 January 2007, at a Blackburn Rovers
pre-match press conference, stressing the fact that Ljungberg will stay at Arsenal until the end of his contract in 2009.
Ljungberg came back after a long injury in an FA Cup
match against Bolton Wanderers
, scoring a goal thirteen minutes before the end of extra time, earning Arsenal a place in the fifth-round tie of the FA Cup against Blackburn Rovers.
In 2008, Ljungberg placed 11th in Arsenal.com's Gunners' Greatest 50 Players.
on a four-year contract. Ljungberg made his West Ham United
debut on the opening day of the 2007/08 Premier League season, in West Ham's 0–2 home defeat by Manchester City on 11 August, a game in which he was also captain. After seven months at the club, Ljungberg finally scored his first goal for West Ham in the home match against Birmingham City
on 9 February 2008, putting West Ham up 1–0, with the game finishing 1–1. Ljungberg also scored away at Sunderland a month later in a 1–2 defeat, being his final goal for the club.
In his last game of the season, Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor
accidentally landed on top of him while trying to jump over him, breaking his ribs. The injury sidelined Ljungberg for the rest of the season. In May, it was reported that Ljungberg was offered £3m to tear up his contract. This was quickly dismissed by both Ljungberg's agents, Claes Elefalk
and Scott Duxbury, West Ham's chief executive.
In June 2008, Ljungberg retired from the Swedish National team stating, "The simple fact is the physical strain of playing on the national team and in club football for such a long time has finally taken its toll. And that is why I have decided to concentrate on playing for West Ham United and that is where my focus will be."
Following the start of training camp, Ljungberg was nowhere to be seen. Many speculated a transfer was in the works despite Elefalk's claims that Ljungberg was to return. Days later, Ljungberg agreed to terminate his contract only after one year into the four year deal for a sum of £6 million. Ljungberg stated afterward, "I gave my all at West Ham and enjoyed my time there but the decision is the best for the both of us. Now, I will take my time to consider my football future."
After Ljungberg's West Ham exit, fans and sport pundits alike speculated about Ljungberg's future. On 8 August, Ljungberg was seen in Los Angeles
fueling rumours of a move to LA Galaxy which was quickly dismissed. In actuality, Ljungberg went to Los Angeles to get a tattoo done by renowned tattoo artist Mister Cartoon
. While he was in Los Angeles, Claes Elefalk urged Ljungberg to meet with Joe Roth
, a Hollywood producer and majority stakeholder in the MLS Expansion Team Seattle Sounders. Ljungberg secretly met with Roth but did not want to make any rash decisions. At the same time, there were rumors of four Italian clubs being interested in Ljungberg including Lazio
, Milan
, Roma
, and Fiorentina
. By the end of August, Ljungberg was linked to Portsmouth
. On 28 August, Ljungberg's agent told the Swedish press that Ljungberg was continuing to train at his old football club Halmstads BK but was unsure of his football future. At the end of the transfer window, Ljungberg was linked to AS Monaco. When Ljungberg declined to join AS Monaco after the transfer window closed, many believed Ljungberg was finished with football.
In early September, Ljungberg was seen in New York City during New York Fashion Week
. At this time, the Daily Star reported that Ljungberg was looking to become a furniture designer. Shortly after, Ljungberg was seen in London with Natalie Imbruglia
and in Sweden with Brazilian actress Elissa Sursara
.
reported that Ljungberg might be a part of the new (at the time) Major League Soccer
franchise Seattle Sounders FC
. On 28 October 2008, Seattle Sounders officially announced they had signed Ljungberg as their Designated Player for the 2009 season. The terms of his contract saw Ljungberg earn $10 million over two seasons with the Sounders. Much like the contract of David Beckham
and as is the norm for professional sports stars in the US, Ljungberg's contract will assure he keeps all of his private endorsement money. Because of this, Grahame L. Jones of the Los Angeles Times
was quick to compare Ljungberg with Beckham. Alexi Lalas
stated, "Eddie Vedder
, I think, would have a better chance of making an impact at Seattle than Freddie Ljungberg". However, after the 2009 regular season Lalas acknowledged his initial skepticism but admitted he had changed his mind. "For me he's the best DP signing, because of the way he plays in MLS."
In December 2008, it was announced that Ljungberg would undergo surgery to repair a persistent hip injury that has plagued him throughout his later career. Surgeons repaired a slightly torn hip labrum
and shaved a small amount of bone where the hip meets the femur
to prevent future injury. The Seattle Times
reported that Ljungberg was expected to miss 10–12 weeks of training and possibly be sidelined for the team's inaugural game, but he recovered from his hip injury sooner than expected. Although Ljungberg did not take part of Seattle's preseason in Argentina, he did however do light training with IS Halmia
.
Once the Sounders returned to Seattle, Ljungberg joined in training. Despite his speedy recovery, Ljungberg did not participate in the inaugural game against New York Red Bulls. He made his debut one week later on 28 March 2009, coming on as a 61st minute substitute in a 2–0 victory over Real Salt Lake
. The following week he made his first start on 4 April 2009 against Toronto FC
where he also scored his first MLS goal. Ljungberg played his first full game against Chivas USA in Los Angeles in which they lost 2–0. While some noted that Fredy Montero and Ljungberg were not cohesive on the pitch due to Ljungberg's absence in the preseason and few practices with one other, coach Sigi Schmid answered, "That's just something that takes some time. But they're both quality players and it will get sorted out I think a lot sooner than later."
Ljungberg missed two games against FC Dallas
and Colorado Rapids
due to a migraine attack. He quickly recovered to play against Chivas USA
. On 30 May 2009, the Sounders drew their fifth match in a row, this time against the Columbus Crew
, after Ljungberg missed a penalty kick in the 31st minute. Ljungberg scored his second goal for the season against the San Jose Earthquakes
on 13 June 2009 as a result of beating Joe Cannon
to the ball, lofting it over him and into the center of the net. In the 59th minute, Ljungberg's corner kick set up Fredy Montero's goal which led the Sounders to a 2–0 victory. After playing DC United, Ljungberg suffered from some hamstring tightness. Ljungberg did suit up for the New York Red Bull game on 20 June 2009, but he did not play as a result of the injury. On 28 June, Ljungberg assisted Montero's 23rd minute goal against the Colorado Rapids. He was subbed out toward the end of the game, in which he received a standing ovation. Ljungberg sat out for the US Open Cup game against the USL Portland Timbers
and focused on training during the July 4 week vacation. Following the brief holiday vacation, Seattle defeated Houston Dynamo
, a game in which Ljungberg was heavily targeted and fouled. Despite this, Ljungberg out maneuvered his opponents and assisted a goal to Patrick Ianni
. The Bleacher Report dubbed him the man of the match.
During his 2009 season, the Daily Express noted rumors that Ljungberg was poised to return to a European club, but Ljungberg assured fans that he would stay to fulfill his two year contract. The Daily Express also noted that he might even extend his contract beyond 2010.
In July 2009, Ljungberg was selected for starting MLS' All-Stars
along with teammate Kasey Keller
. Selection for the All-Star team is based upon votes from players, coaches, general managers, members of the media and an online fan voting system. Ljungberg received the most votes among fans, a testament to his popularity in the MLS. Ljungberg was also appointed captain of the 2009 MLS All-Star Team in their game versus Everton
.
Due to receiving a red card in the previous game, Ljungberg was ineligible to play the next Seattle Sounders game. As a result, All-Star coach Dominic Kinnear
played Ljungberg for a full 90 minutes. At the end of the game, Ljungberg started to have impaired vision. When the game went to penalty kicks, he chose to sit it out due to his loss of vision after an on-set migraine. Unfortunately for Ljungberg, the initial 5 kicks ended in a draw. Kinnear, not fully understanding Ljungberg's condition, sent him out as the sixth kicker. Ljungberg, unable to see, took a chance and just tapped the ball in the center of net. However, Tim Howard
caught it, resulting in Everton's win. Immediately following the game, Ljungberg was removed from the field on a stretcher. Later, Ljungberg told reporters that he ingested trace amount of red wine while in Utah, resulting in his second migraine within months.
club Chicago Fire on 30 July 2010 and made his team debut as a substitute in the club's 3-2 victory over the LA Galaxy
the following Sunday. Ljungberg's first start for the Fire came against the New York Red Bulls in a match that featured five designated players. After 15 league appearances, Ljungberg announced that he would be leaving Chicago at the end of the 2010 MLS season.
club Celtic
on a week-long trial. After a successful trial, Ljungberg officially signed a contract with the club on 30 December 2010.
Ljungberg made his debut for Celtic away to Berwick Rangers in the Scottish Cup on 9 January 2011, playing over 60 minutes and helping his team to a 2–0 victory.
debut. Ljungberg almost did not make it as an international player because Sweden
coach Lasse Lagerbäck
thought Ljungberg was too short. In Fredrik Ljungberg: Up Close, Lagerbäck stated, "Of course it's difficult to say at 15 to 16 years of age (whether or not a player has the potential to be an international player). To be honest, I wouldn't say I thought he would become an international player because he was very very little. In his first match, we played Denmark
and he scored twice so he convinced me rather fast that he was a good player even if he was very very small but he was quick." On 10 November 1996, Ljungberg scored twice in a game against Scotland.
in Orlando
, losing 0–1. He scored his first national team goal against Denmark in Malmö
with a 3–0 victory.
Ljungberg has represented his country at Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup
, Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup
and Euro 2008.
, Ljungberg broke into a fight with teammate Olof Mellberg
after a robust tackle from the latter. Ljungberg pushed Mellberg right in front of the world press and Mellberg responded by grabbing at Ljungberg's throat before the two wrestled on the ground. The two of them were quickly separated by shocked team-mates and the team practice was immediately cancelled to deal with the public relations disaster. Within hours, video footage of the fight flooded the media and internet.
Sweden was a part of Group B dubbed ‘Group of Death’ which included Argentina
, England
, and Nigeria
. At the time, Ljungberg was suffering from a hip injury which prevented him from playing in most of the games. However, Ljungberg did muster the strength to play against England
on 2 June 2002 and Nigeria
on 7 June 2002 despite the pain. After Sweden advanced from group death, the team was defeated by Senegal
.
. In Sweden's first game on 14 June, Ljungberg scored the opening goal as Sweden beat Bulgaria
5–0. He started the next two matches against Italy
and Denmark
, which both ended in draws. Sweden along with Italy and Denmark were in a three way tie for the first spot. However, it was concluded that Italy would not advance due to a goal difference after Sweden and Denmark drew 2–2. Italy disputed the decision saying both Sweden and Denmark fixed the match. UEFA squashed that notion and Sweden moved onto the next round to compete against the Netherlands. The match ended with 0–0 draw in which Ljungberg attempted two shots but failed to score.
Prior to the games, the team doctor prohibited Ljungberg from participating in full-blown training between matches to protect his injured foot. His right foot was swollen due to fluid building up inside his ankle joint. Although he played through the pain with Arsenal, Ljungberg sat out the warm-up games against Finland
and Chile
at Sweden’s base in Bremen
. Despite being advised to take time off, Ljungberg insisted on playing in the cup to help Sweden win. Lagerback defend his decision by saying he played well in the Champions League and the Swedish qualifiers with the same injury. Ljungberg said after this that the team doctor was not very good and Lagerback was a delightful chap.
Sweden's 2006 World Cup campaign was a media whirlwind due in part to disagreements between Ljungberg and other members of the Swedish side. Even before the games began, Mellberg and Ljungberg almost allegedly had another confrontation; only this time Ljungberg had walked away before it got physical. The press was eager to report on drama within the Swedish camp. After the scoreless draw against Trinidad and Tobago
, there was tension in the dressing room. Reports that Ljungberg and captain Mellberg had a shouting match that almost spiraled into a fistfight had reached the press. The alleged fight occurred due to a disagreement over strategy. In an interview, Ljungberg argued, "We played much too many long balls from Mellberg up to our attackers."
Sweden's weak start was quickly forgotten after their victory against Paraguay
. However, Paraguay almost held out for a scoreless tie until Ljungberg scored in the 89th minute giving Sweden a 1–0 victory. Sweden's third match within the group was against England, resulting in a 2–2 draw. After the match, Ljungberg stated, "We showed too much respect to England early on but by the end we should have won."
Despite the draw, Sweden advanced to the next round only to lose against host nation Germany
. Ljungerg was named the Golden Ball winner for helping Sweden advance to the next round in the World Cup by heading in the game-winning goal against Paraguay. "I am proud and humble to get this award," Ljungberg said. "If you look at the football year 2006, it was very eventful. . . . If I should try to sum it up, the Champions League final left some deep marks. That felt heavy. But for me, the World Cup was the biggest event of the year."
, Liechtenstein
, Spain
, Northern Ireland
, and Iceland
. In the qualifiers, Ljungberg scored one goal against Liechtenstein on 17 October 2007 and had an assist in the Latvia match four days later. Sweden qualified for the European Championship with 6 wins.
Prior the Euro 2008, Ljungberg fractured his ribs making his appearance in the tournament uncertain. However, Ljungberg was able to participate in the Euro and played the games with a special brace to protect his healing ribs. Ljungberg was able to start in Sweden’s first match against Greece
which ended in a 2–0 victory. Sweden’s next match was against one of the favorites, Spain
. Sweden were able to contain Spain who struggled from making big advances. However, Sweden lost that match 1–2. At the end of the game, Ljungberg was furious with Dutch referee Pieter Vink and proclaimed, “There was a foul just before the Spanish second goal and it wasn’t given. It was lucky I was asked to do a TV interview straight after we came off otherwise I would have kicked a door in!”
Sweden was unable to compete with the young Russian squad and were defeated 0–2. Despite, Sweden’s early dismissal from the tournament, Ljungberg was considered by newspapers in Sweden, France, Italy, Germany and the host nation Austria as being Sweden's leading player throughout the tournament.
in the last group stage match of Euro 2008.
|1994
||rowspan="5"|Halmstad
||rowspan="5"|Allsvenskan
||1||0||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||1||0
|-
|1995
||16||1||||||colspan="2"|-||4||0||20||1
|-
|1996
||20||2||||||colspan="2"|-||3||0||23||2
|-
|1997
||24||5||||||colspan="2"|-||4||1||28||6
|-
|1998
||18||2||||||colspan="2"|-||2||0||20||2
79||10||||||colspan="2"|-||13||1||92||11
|-
|1998–99||rowspan="9"|Arsenal
||rowspan="10"|Premier League
||16||1||||||||||colspan="2"|-||16||1
|-
|1999–00||26||6||||||||||14||2||40||8
|-
|2000–01||30||6||||||||||13||2||43||8
|-
|2001–02||25||12||5||2||0||0||9||3||39||17
|-
|2002–03||20||6||4||1||0||0||8||2||32||9
|-
|2003–04||30||4||4||4||0||0||9||2||43||10
|-
|2004–05||26||10||6||2||0||0||6||2||38||14
|-
|2005–06||25||1||1||0||1||0||9||1||36||2
|-
|2006–07||18||0||3||1||0||0||5||1||26||2
|-
|2007–08||West Ham United
||25||2||1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||26||2
241||48||24||10||1||0||73||15||339||73
|-
|2009||rowspan="2"|Seattle Sounders FC
||rowspan="3"|Major League Soccer
||22||2||1||0||2||0||0||0||25||2
|-
|2010
||15||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||15||0
|-
|2010
||Chicago Fire||15||2||0||0||0||0||0||0||15||2
52||4||1||0||2||0||0||0||55||4
|-
|2010–11||rowspan="1"|Celtic
||rowspan="1"|Scottish Premier League
||7||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||8||0
7||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||8||0
|-
|2011
||rowspan="1"|Shimizu S-Pulse
||rowspan="1"|J. League||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
379||62||26||10||3||0||86||16||494||86
|-
|1998||6||1
|-
|1999||7||1
|-
|2000||8||0
|-
|2001||9||0
|-
|2002||5||0
|-
|2003||4||1
|-
|2004||10||4
|-
|2005||7||5
|-
|2006||8||1
|-
|2007||6||1
|-
|2008||5||0
|-
!Total||75||14
|}
Vittsjö
Vittsjö is a locality situated in Hässleholm Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 1,691 inhabitants in 2005.- History :Vittsjö municipality, located in Western District Göinge, then Kristianstad län, was extended in 1952 through the merger with Verum and Visseltofta municipalities.- Geography...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
) is a Swedish footballer who currently plays as a right winger for Shimizu S-Pulse
Shimizu S-Pulse
is a professional Japanese association football club. Located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, S-Pulse currently competes in the J. League Division 1 . Formed as recently as 1991, S-Pulse are one of the youngest professional teams in Japan, but are among only five to have competed in...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Ljungberg was captain of the Swedish national team
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
until he announced his international retirement after UEFA Euro 2008.
Ljungberg was a model for Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
underwear until 2007. He previously represented brands such as Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
, Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble
Procter & Gamble is a Fortune 500 American multinational corporation headquartered in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio and manufactures a wide range of consumer goods....
, L'Oreal
L'Oréal
The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company. With its registered office in Paris and head office in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, it has developed activities in the field of cosmetics...
and currently represents Puma
PUMA AG
Puma SE, officially branded as PUMA, is a major German multinational company that produces high-end athletic shoes, lifestyle footwear and other sportswear. Formed in 1924 as Gebrüder Dassler Schuhfabrik by Adolf and Rudolf Dassler, relationships between the two brothers deteriorated until the two...
, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, as well as running his own blog since October 2009.
Early life
Ljungberg was born on 16 April 1977 in VittsjöVittsjö
Vittsjö is a locality situated in Hässleholm Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 1,691 inhabitants in 2005.- History :Vittsjö municipality, located in Western District Göinge, then Kristianstad län, was extended in 1952 through the merger with Verum and Visseltofta municipalities.- Geography...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to parents Roy Alve Erling Ljungberg, a civil engineer and owner of a construction and consultant business, and Elisabeth Bodil Ljungberg, a Swedish Labor Department worker. On 12 September 1984, the Ljungbergs had another son, Karl Oskar Filip. In 1982, the Ljungberg family left Vittsjö and moved to Halmstad
Halmstad
Halmstad is a port, university, industrial and recreational city at the mouth of Nissan in the province of Halland on the Swedish west coast. Halmstad is the seat of Halmstad Municipality and the capital of Halland County...
. At first, the tenacious 5 year old would not have any part of moving. Fredrik argued with his parents that he did not want to live in Halmstad. His parents relented and took him to Halmstads BK
Halmstads BK
Halmstads Bollklubb, also called HBK or just Halmstad, is a Swedish football club located in Halmstad in the southwest of Sweden. The club, formed 6 March 1914, competes in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan, and has won 4 national championship titles and 1 national cup title...
where he played on the youth team under Olle Eriksson.
From the time he was 5–14, Ljungberg was coached by Eriksson. Eriksson’s impression of the youngster was that he was remarkably talented for his age and that he was considerate of other players noting that Ljungberg would pass the ball to his friends so that they would have a chance to score. Ljungberg credits Eriksson for having a profound effect on his career as well as Brazilian football player, Sócrates
Sócrates
Sócrates Brasileiro Sampaio de Souza Vieira de Oliveira, MD, , more commonly known simply as Sócrates, is a Brazilian former association footballer....
. Also in his youth, he enjoyed playing ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
and developed a talent for handball
Team handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
; he was eventually called up to the national handball team, but decided to focus his attentions on football.
Ljungberg did well in academic subjects as well as sports. When he finished 9th grade his marks averaged 4.1 on the 5 point scale. At 18, Ljungberg decided to attend university to study information technology and economics but struggled to balance the hectic academic timetable with the physically demanding commitments of professional football. Eventually, he quit university to concentrate on his football career.
Halmstads BK
In 1989, at the age of 12, Ljungberg had convinced Halmstads BKHalmstads BK
Halmstads Bollklubb, also called HBK or just Halmstad, is a Swedish football club located in Halmstad in the southwest of Sweden. The club, formed 6 March 1914, competes in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan, and has won 4 national championship titles and 1 national cup title...
to move him from p12 to p14 which was against Halmstad's policies at the time. At age 14, Ljungberg joined the junior team under coach Robert Nordström. His perseverance paid off because three years later he was moved up to the senior team.
Ljungberg made his senior debut on 23 October 1994 in the Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
against AIK
AIK Fotboll
AIK, , an abbreviation for Allmänna Idrottsklubben, , when needed internationally AIK Stockholm, is a Swedish football club based at Råsunda stadium in Solna, a municipality in Stockholm County bordering to Stockholm City Centre...
. In 1995, Ljungberg played 31 games in which he scored his first goal as a professional player. That same year Halmstad won the Swedish Cup. In 1997, Halmstad won the Allsvenskan and Ljungberg scored goals that year despite being injured. During his time with Halmstad, he went on to make 139 appearances and score 16 goals for the club. He won both the Swedish Cup and League title with the club. After two years with Halmstad, Ljungberg’s star was on the rise with interest from Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
.
Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in 1998 for £3 million, which at the time was the highest transfer fee for a Swedish player. Arsenal scouts watched him for over a year and Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
, took the unusual step of authorising the signing after watching Ljungberg play for Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
in their victory against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
on television, without seeing him play live. Seeing Ljungberg’s performance against England only confirmed to Wenger that Ljungberg could cope against English opponents and was signed shortly after. Ljungberg proved himself without difficulty and scored on his debut on 20 September after coming on as a substitute against rival club Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, the match ending 3–0.
Some of Ljungberg's best form came in the second half of the 2001–02 season
2001-02 in English football
The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the...
, when Arsenal won their second Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
and FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
. Following a knee injury to Robert Pirès
Robert Pirès
Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...
, Ljungberg scored in most of Arsenal's remaining games, including a stunning finish for Arsenal's second goal in the 2–0 FA Cup Final
2002 FA Cup Final
The 2002 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 2001–02 FA Cup competition. It was an all-London affair between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium on 4 May 2002...
win over Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. Ljungberg had scored many important and vital goals for Arsenal throughout the season. He scored an equaliser against Manchester United. Arsenal went on to win this game 3–1. He was instrumental in Arsenals 2–1 win against Liverpool at Anfield where he won a penalty in which Thierry Henry scored and then he slotted in a sweet finish from a Robert Pires cross. He scored an identical goal again Against Liverpool at Highbury 3 weeks later. The matched ended up being 1–1 draw. Ljungberg ended the 2001/2002 season scoring 17 goals in all competitions.
He endeared himself to Arsenal supporters by having a bright red stripe in his hair. (A popular chant spawned from this to the tune of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Can't Take My Eyes off You
"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 single by Frankie Valli. The song was among Valli's biggest hits, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earning a gold record. It was Valli's biggest "solo" hit until he hit #1 in 1975 with "My Eyes Adored You"...
" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: "We love you Freddie, because you've got red hair, we love you Freddie because you're everywhere, we love you Freddie, you're Arsenal through and through" Later when he shaved his head this was updated to "We love you Freddie, because you've got no hair").
Ljungberg was the first player to score a goal at an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final outside England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, when Arsenal lost against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in 2001 at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. A year later, against Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
, he became the first player to score in consecutive FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
s. He also scored a penalty in the shootout in Arsenal's 2005 FA Cup Final victory over Manchester United.
He is most comfortable on either wing in midfield, though he can also play centrally in a 4–5–1 formation or as a second striker. Ljungberg became a regular in Arsenal's starting lineup following the departure of Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel Petit
Emmanuel "Manu" Laurent Petit is a retired French footballer, who played his club football for Monaco, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Chelsea...
and Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars
Marc Overmars is a retired Dutch footballer. He is best known as a right-footed left winger, although he is able to use both his feet with equal precision and power...
in the summer of 2000. For several seasons he played a major role for the club including being a member of the unbeaten 49 game run for Arsenal. He had to fight with constant injury problems and occasionally severe bouts with migraine
Migraine
Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by moderate to severe headaches, and nausea...
s; in 2005 a persistent hip injury led to fears he may have contracted cancer, which were unfounded. It transpired that he was suffering from blood poisoning caused by his large tattoos.
Despite a persistent ankle injury, Ljungberg played for Arsenal in the 2–1 defeat by Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in the Champions League Final
2006 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2006 UEFA Champions League Final was the final match of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League, Europe's primary club football competition. The showpiece event was contested between Barcelona of Spain and Arsenal of England at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris, France, on Wednesday, 17...
in Paris on 17 May 2006.
It was speculated in January 2007 that Ljungberg was being forced to leave Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, after bosses became tired of a run of injuries restricting his play. "Ljungberg still has a lot to offer to Arsenal," Arsené Wenger said, on 13 January 2007, at a Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
pre-match press conference, stressing the fact that Ljungberg will stay at Arsenal until the end of his contract in 2009.
Ljungberg came back after a long injury in an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
match against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, scoring a goal thirteen minutes before the end of extra time, earning Arsenal a place in the fifth-round tie of the FA Cup against Blackburn Rovers.
In 2008, Ljungberg placed 11th in Arsenal.com's Gunners' Greatest 50 Players.
West Ham United
On 23 July 2007, after nine years at Arsenal, Ljungberg joined London rivals West Ham UnitedWest Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
on a four-year contract. Ljungberg made his West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
debut on the opening day of the 2007/08 Premier League season, in West Ham's 0–2 home defeat by Manchester City on 11 August, a game in which he was also captain. After seven months at the club, Ljungberg finally scored his first goal for West Ham in the home match against Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
on 9 February 2008, putting West Ham up 1–0, with the game finishing 1–1. Ljungberg also scored away at Sunderland a month later in a 1–2 defeat, being his final goal for the club.
In his last game of the season, Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor
Steven Taylor (footballer)
Steven Vincent Taylor is an English footballer, currently playing for Premier League club Newcastle United. He is a versatile central defender who can play at right back or, on rare occasions, at left back...
accidentally landed on top of him while trying to jump over him, breaking his ribs. The injury sidelined Ljungberg for the rest of the season. In May, it was reported that Ljungberg was offered £3m to tear up his contract. This was quickly dismissed by both Ljungberg's agents, Claes Elefalk
Claes Elefalk
Claes Elefalk is a Swedish sports agent at the Creative Artists Agency.- Career :Elefalk is a Swedish Sports agent whose representation include some high-profile athletes. From the early 1990s, Elefalk worked as an agent at IMG Sweden until 2006...
and Scott Duxbury, West Ham's chief executive.
In June 2008, Ljungberg retired from the Swedish National team stating, "The simple fact is the physical strain of playing on the national team and in club football for such a long time has finally taken its toll. And that is why I have decided to concentrate on playing for West Ham United and that is where my focus will be."
Following the start of training camp, Ljungberg was nowhere to be seen. Many speculated a transfer was in the works despite Elefalk's claims that Ljungberg was to return. Days later, Ljungberg agreed to terminate his contract only after one year into the four year deal for a sum of £6 million. Ljungberg stated afterward, "I gave my all at West Ham and enjoyed my time there but the decision is the best for the both of us. Now, I will take my time to consider my football future."
Football hiatus
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
fueling rumours of a move to LA Galaxy which was quickly dismissed. In actuality, Ljungberg went to Los Angeles to get a tattoo done by renowned tattoo artist Mister Cartoon
Mister Cartoon
Mark Machado, better known as Mr. Cartoon or more commonly just Cartoon, is a Mexican American tattoo artist and graffiti artist based in Los Angeles, California....
. While he was in Los Angeles, Claes Elefalk urged Ljungberg to meet with Joe Roth
Joe Roth
Joe Roth is an American film executive, producer and film director. He co-founded Morgan Creek Productions in 1987 and was chairman of 20th Century Fox , Caravan Pictures , and Walt Disney Studios before founding Revolution Studios in 2000.-Life and career:Roth was born in New York, New York,...
, a Hollywood producer and majority stakeholder in the MLS Expansion Team Seattle Sounders. Ljungberg secretly met with Roth but did not want to make any rash decisions. At the same time, there were rumors of four Italian clubs being interested in Ljungberg including Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
, Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
, Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
, and Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
. By the end of August, Ljungberg was linked to Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
. On 28 August, Ljungberg's agent told the Swedish press that Ljungberg was continuing to train at his old football club Halmstads BK but was unsure of his football future. At the end of the transfer window, Ljungberg was linked to AS Monaco. When Ljungberg declined to join AS Monaco after the transfer window closed, many believed Ljungberg was finished with football.
In early September, Ljungberg was seen in New York City during New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
. At this time, the Daily Star reported that Ljungberg was looking to become a furniture designer. Shortly after, Ljungberg was seen in London with Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
and in Sweden with Brazilian actress Elissa Sursara
Elissa Sursara
Elissa Sursara is an Australian conservationist, environmental commentator, documentary film maker, public figure, and occasional actress...
.
Seattle Sounders FC
On 17 October 2008, the Seattle Post-IntelligencerSeattle Post-Intelligencer
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer is an online newspaper and former print newspaper covering Seattle, Washington, United States, and the surrounding metropolitan area...
reported that Ljungberg might be a part of the new (at the time) Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
franchise Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The club competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Sounders FC was established in November 2007 as a MLS expansion team, making it the 15th team in...
. On 28 October 2008, Seattle Sounders officially announced they had signed Ljungberg as their Designated Player for the 2009 season. The terms of his contract saw Ljungberg earn $10 million over two seasons with the Sounders. Much like the contract of David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
and as is the norm for professional sports stars in the US, Ljungberg's contract will assure he keeps all of his private endorsement money. Because of this, Grahame L. Jones of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
was quick to compare Ljungberg with Beckham. Alexi Lalas
Alexi Lalas
Panayotis Alexander Lalas is a retired American soccer player who played mostly as a defender for the United States national team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup...
stated, "Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
, I think, would have a better chance of making an impact at Seattle than Freddie Ljungberg". However, after the 2009 regular season Lalas acknowledged his initial skepticism but admitted he had changed his mind. "For me he's the best DP signing, because of the way he plays in MLS."
In December 2008, it was announced that Ljungberg would undergo surgery to repair a persistent hip injury that has plagued him throughout his later career. Surgeons repaired a slightly torn hip labrum
Acetabular labrum
The acetabular labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the acetabulum ....
and shaved a small amount of bone where the hip meets the femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
to prevent future injury. The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
reported that Ljungberg was expected to miss 10–12 weeks of training and possibly be sidelined for the team's inaugural game, but he recovered from his hip injury sooner than expected. Although Ljungberg did not take part of Seattle's preseason in Argentina, he did however do light training with IS Halmia
IS Halmia
IS Halmia is a football club, located in Halmstad, Sweden.- Background :IS Halmia was founded on 16 June 16, 1907 and currently plays in Division 2 Södra Götaland. In 1932 the club became the first team from Halmstad to reach the Allsvenskan, the highest football league in Sweden. In total IS...
.
Once the Sounders returned to Seattle, Ljungberg joined in training. Despite his speedy recovery, Ljungberg did not participate in the inaugural game against New York Red Bulls. He made his debut one week later on 28 March 2009, coming on as a 61st minute substitute in a 2–0 victory over Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake is an American professional soccer club based in Sandy, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City. The team competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. They currently play their home games at Rio Tinto Stadium. Real Salt Lake won...
. The following week he made his first start on 4 April 2009 against Toronto FC
Toronto FC
Toronto FC is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto, Ontario which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada....
where he also scored his first MLS goal. Ljungberg played his first full game against Chivas USA in Los Angeles in which they lost 2–0. While some noted that Fredy Montero and Ljungberg were not cohesive on the pitch due to Ljungberg's absence in the preseason and few practices with one other, coach Sigi Schmid answered, "That's just something that takes some time. But they're both quality players and it will get sorted out I think a lot sooner than later."
Ljungberg missed two games against FC Dallas
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada...
and Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league...
due to a migraine attack. He quickly recovered to play against Chivas USA
C.D. Chivas USA
Club Deportivo Chivas USA is an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States of America and Canada....
. On 30 May 2009, the Sounders drew their fifth match in a row, this time against the Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
, after Ljungberg missed a penalty kick in the 31st minute. Ljungberg scored his second goal for the season against the San Jose Earthquakes
San Jose Earthquakes
The San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer team is located in the San Jose, California, United States suburb of Santa Clara, and participates in Major League Soccer , the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada....
on 13 June 2009 as a result of beating Joe Cannon
Joe Cannon (soccer)
Joe Cannon is an American soccer player who currently plays for Vancouver Whitecaps FC in Major League Soccer.-Professional:...
to the ball, lofting it over him and into the center of the net. In the 59th minute, Ljungberg's corner kick set up Fredy Montero's goal which led the Sounders to a 2–0 victory. After playing DC United, Ljungberg suffered from some hamstring tightness. Ljungberg did suit up for the New York Red Bull game on 20 June 2009, but he did not play as a result of the injury. On 28 June, Ljungberg assisted Montero's 23rd minute goal against the Colorado Rapids. He was subbed out toward the end of the game, in which he received a standing ovation. Ljungberg sat out for the US Open Cup game against the USL Portland Timbers
Portland Timbers (USL)
Portland Timbers was an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 2001, the team played in various leagues at the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, including the USL First Division and the USSF Division 2 Professional League, until the end of...
and focused on training during the July 4 week vacation. Following the brief holiday vacation, Seattle defeated Houston Dynamo
Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club, based in Houston, Texas, that plays in Major League Soccer, the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Founded in 2005 as Houston 1836, the team name was renamed to Houston Dynamo following protests from Hispanic...
, a game in which Ljungberg was heavily targeted and fouled. Despite this, Ljungberg out maneuvered his opponents and assisted a goal to Patrick Ianni
Patrick Ianni
Patrick Edward Joseph Ianni is an American soccer player who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.-College and Amateur:...
. The Bleacher Report dubbed him the man of the match.
During his 2009 season, the Daily Express noted rumors that Ljungberg was poised to return to a European club, but Ljungberg assured fans that he would stay to fulfill his two year contract. The Daily Express also noted that he might even extend his contract beyond 2010.
In July 2009, Ljungberg was selected for starting MLS' All-Stars
Major League Soccer All-Star Game
The MLS All-Star Game is an annual soccer game held by Major League Soccer featuring selected players from the league against various competitors...
along with teammate Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller
Kasey Keller is a retired American soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer....
. Selection for the All-Star team is based upon votes from players, coaches, general managers, members of the media and an online fan voting system. Ljungberg received the most votes among fans, a testament to his popularity in the MLS. Ljungberg was also appointed captain of the 2009 MLS All-Star Team in their game versus Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
.
Due to receiving a red card in the previous game, Ljungberg was ineligible to play the next Seattle Sounders game. As a result, All-Star coach Dominic Kinnear
Dominic Kinnear
Dominic Kinnear is a Scottish-born American former soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer.As a player, he began his professional career with Scottish club St...
played Ljungberg for a full 90 minutes. At the end of the game, Ljungberg started to have impaired vision. When the game went to penalty kicks, he chose to sit it out due to his loss of vision after an on-set migraine. Unfortunately for Ljungberg, the initial 5 kicks ended in a draw. Kinnear, not fully understanding Ljungberg's condition, sent him out as the sixth kicker. Ljungberg, unable to see, took a chance and just tapped the ball in the center of net. However, Tim Howard
Tim Howard
Timothy Matthew Howard is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for English club Everton and the United States national team....
caught it, resulting in Everton's win. Immediately following the game, Ljungberg was removed from the field on a stretcher. Later, Ljungberg told reporters that he ingested trace amount of red wine while in Utah, resulting in his second migraine within months.
Chicago Fire
Ljungberg was traded to Major League SoccerMajor League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
club Chicago Fire on 30 July 2010 and made his team debut as a substitute in the club's 3-2 victory over the LA Galaxy
Los Angeles Galaxy
The Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second...
the following Sunday. Ljungberg's first start for the Fire came against the New York Red Bulls in a match that featured five designated players. After 15 league appearances, Ljungberg announced that he would be leaving Chicago at the end of the 2010 MLS season.
Celtic
On 27 December 2010, Ljungberg joined Scottish Premier LeagueScottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
club Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
on a week-long trial. After a successful trial, Ljungberg officially signed a contract with the club on 30 December 2010.
Ljungberg made his debut for Celtic away to Berwick Rangers in the Scottish Cup on 9 January 2011, playing over 60 minutes and helping his team to a 2–0 victory.
Under-21
In 1996, Ljungberg made his Sweden U21Sweden national under-21 football team
The Swedish U-21 national football team is the football team representing Sweden in competitions for under-21 year old players. Sweden U21's current captain is Jiloan Hamad with Jakob Johansson as vice captain.-UEFA European U-21 Championship Record:...
debut. Ljungberg almost did not make it as an international player because Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
coach Lasse Lagerbäck
Lars Lagerbäck
Lars Edvin "Lasse" Lagerbäck is a Swedish football manager and former player, currently managing Iceland....
thought Ljungberg was too short. In Fredrik Ljungberg: Up Close, Lagerbäck stated, "Of course it's difficult to say at 15 to 16 years of age (whether or not a player has the potential to be an international player). To be honest, I wouldn't say I thought he would become an international player because he was very very little. In his first match, we played Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
and he scored twice so he convinced me rather fast that he was a good player even if he was very very small but he was quick." On 10 November 1996, Ljungberg scored twice in a game against Scotland.
Senior debut
Ljungberg made his senior international debut on 24 January 1998 against the United StatesUnited States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, losing 0–1. He scored his first national team goal against Denmark in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
with a 3–0 victory.
Ljungberg has represented his country at Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
and Euro 2008.
2002 World Cup
During a open team practice before the 2002 World Cup2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, Ljungberg broke into a fight with teammate Olof Mellberg
Olof Mellberg
Erik Olof Mellberg is a Swedish international footballer currently playing for Olympiacos in the Greek Superleague. He generally plays as a central defender or right-back.-Early years:...
after a robust tackle from the latter. Ljungberg pushed Mellberg right in front of the world press and Mellberg responded by grabbing at Ljungberg's throat before the two wrestled on the ground. The two of them were quickly separated by shocked team-mates and the team practice was immediately cancelled to deal with the public relations disaster. Within hours, video footage of the fight flooded the media and internet.
Sweden was a part of Group B dubbed ‘Group of Death’ which included Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, and Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
. At the time, Ljungberg was suffering from a hip injury which prevented him from playing in most of the games. However, Ljungberg did muster the strength to play against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
on 2 June 2002 and Nigeria
Nigeria national football team
The Nigeria national football team, nicknamed the Super Eagles or Green Eagles, is the national team of Nigeria and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation . The team has ranked as high as 5th in the FIFA World Rankings, in April 1994...
on 7 June 2002 despite the pain. After Sweden advanced from group death, the team was defeated by Senegal
Senegal national football team
The Senegal national football team, nicknamed the Lions of Teranga, is the national team of Senegal and is controlled by the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football...
.
Euro 2004
Sweden were one of the 15 teams to qualify for Euro 2004 with host nation of PortugalPortugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
. In Sweden's first game on 14 June, Ljungberg scored the opening goal as Sweden beat Bulgaria
Bulgaria national football team
The FIFA Bulgaria national football team is an association football team fielded by the Bulgarian Football Union, a member association of UEFA. The team's home ground is Vasil Levski in Sofia and Luboslav Penev is in charge manager after replacement of Lothar Matthäus...
5–0. He started the next two matches against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
and Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
, which both ended in draws. Sweden along with Italy and Denmark were in a three way tie for the first spot. However, it was concluded that Italy would not advance due to a goal difference after Sweden and Denmark drew 2–2. Italy disputed the decision saying both Sweden and Denmark fixed the match. UEFA squashed that notion and Sweden moved onto the next round to compete against the Netherlands. The match ended with 0–0 draw in which Ljungberg attempted two shots but failed to score.
2006 World Cup
Finland national football team
The Finland national football team represents Finland in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Association of Finland....
and Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
at Sweden’s base in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. Despite being advised to take time off, Ljungberg insisted on playing in the cup to help Sweden win. Lagerback defend his decision by saying he played well in the Champions League and the Swedish qualifiers with the same injury. Ljungberg said after this that the team doctor was not very good and Lagerback was a delightful chap.
Sweden's 2006 World Cup campaign was a media whirlwind due in part to disagreements between Ljungberg and other members of the Swedish side. Even before the games began, Mellberg and Ljungberg almost allegedly had another confrontation; only this time Ljungberg had walked away before it got physical. The press was eager to report on drama within the Swedish camp. After the scoreless draw against Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago national football team
The Trinidad and Tobago national football team, nicknamed The Soca Warriors, is the national team of Trinidad and Tobago and is run by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation. It reached the first round of the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals...
, there was tension in the dressing room. Reports that Ljungberg and captain Mellberg had a shouting match that almost spiraled into a fistfight had reached the press. The alleged fight occurred due to a disagreement over strategy. In an interview, Ljungberg argued, "We played much too many long balls from Mellberg up to our attackers."
Sweden's weak start was quickly forgotten after their victory against Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
. However, Paraguay almost held out for a scoreless tie until Ljungberg scored in the 89th minute giving Sweden a 1–0 victory. Sweden's third match within the group was against England, resulting in a 2–2 draw. After the match, Ljungberg stated, "We showed too much respect to England early on but by the end we should have won."
Despite the draw, Sweden advanced to the next round only to lose against host nation Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
. Ljungerg was named the Golden Ball winner for helping Sweden advance to the next round in the World Cup by heading in the game-winning goal against Paraguay. "I am proud and humble to get this award," Ljungberg said. "If you look at the football year 2006, it was very eventful. . . . If I should try to sum it up, the Champions League final left some deep marks. That felt heavy. But for me, the World Cup was the biggest event of the year."
Euro 2008
After the World Cup 2006 finals, Ljungberg became captain of Sweden National Team. He captained the side in 8 of the 9 Euro 2008 qualifiers including games against LatviaLatvia national football team
The Latvian national football team is controlled by the Latvian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Latvia and represents the country in international football competitions, such as the World Cup and the European Championships. So far, they have never qualified for a FIFA World...
, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
, Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
, and Iceland
Iceland national football team
The Iceland national football team is the national football team of Iceland and is controlled by the Football Association of Iceland. It has never advanced to the finals of any major international competition....
. In the qualifiers, Ljungberg scored one goal against Liechtenstein on 17 October 2007 and had an assist in the Latvia match four days later. Sweden qualified for the European Championship with 6 wins.
Prior the Euro 2008, Ljungberg fractured his ribs making his appearance in the tournament uncertain. However, Ljungberg was able to participate in the Euro and played the games with a special brace to protect his healing ribs. Ljungberg was able to start in Sweden’s first match against Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
which ended in a 2–0 victory. Sweden’s next match was against one of the favorites, Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
. Sweden were able to contain Spain who struggled from making big advances. However, Sweden lost that match 1–2. At the end of the game, Ljungberg was furious with Dutch referee Pieter Vink and proclaimed, “There was a foul just before the Spanish second goal and it wasn’t given. It was lucky I was asked to do a TV interview straight after we came off otherwise I would have kicked a door in!”
Sweden was unable to compete with the young Russian squad and were defeated 0–2. Despite, Sweden’s early dismissal from the tournament, Ljungberg was considered by newspapers in Sweden, France, Italy, Germany and the host nation Austria as being Sweden's leading player throughout the tournament.
Retirement
On 27 June 2008 Ljungberg announced that he was ending his 10-year career for the national team. The decision came following Sweden's early exit from Euro 2008. Ljungberg played his last match for Sweden on 18 June 2008 in the 2–0 defeat to RussiaRussia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
in the last group stage match of Euro 2008.
International goals
| Goal | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 28 May 1998 |  Malmö StadionMalmö Stadion Malmö Stadion is a multi-purpose stadium in Malmö, Sweden which is currently the home of Swedish football Division 4 club IFK Malmö and athletics club MAI... , Malmö Malmö Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County... |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 2. | 31 March 1999 |  Stadion Śląski, ChorzówChorzów Chorzów is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, near Katowice. Chorzów is one of the central districts of the Upper Silesian Metropolitan Union - a metropolis with a population of 2 million... |
1–0 | 1–0 | Euro 2000 qualification | |
| 3. | 7 June 2003 |  Stadio SerravalleStadio Olimpico (San Marino) Stadio Olimpico is a multi-purpose stadium in Serravalle, San Marino. It is currently used mostly for football matches. It is the national stadium of San Marino, and is also used by the club San Marino Calcio, which plays in the Italian football league. The Stadio Olimpico was also used by... , Serravalle |
0–3 | 0–6 | Euro 2004 qualification | |
| 4. | 14 June 2004 |  Estádio José AlvaladeEstádio José Alvalade Estádio José Alvalade is a football stadium in Lisbon, Portugal, home of Sporting Clube de Portugal, one of the country's biggest clubs. It is the center of a complex called Alvalade XXI , designed by Portuguese architect... , Lisbon Lisbon Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban... |
1–0 | 5–0 | Euro 2004 | |
| 5. | 4 September 2004 |  Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta'QaliTa'Qali Ta' Qali is a village in Malta, a wide open space in the middle of Malta containing the national stadium, Ta' Qali National Park and a national vegetable market which is locally known as the Pitkalija.... |
0–4 | 0–7 | 2006 World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup... |
|
| 6. | 4 September 2004 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Ta'Qali Ta'Qali Ta' Qali is a village in Malta, a wide open space in the middle of Malta containing the national stadium, Ta' Qali National Park and a national vegetable market which is locally known as the Pitkalija.... |
0–6 | 0–7 | 2006 World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup... |
|
| 7. | 9 October 2004 | Råsunda, Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2006 World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup... |
|
| 8. | 9 February 2005 |  Stade de FranceStade de France The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for... , Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... |
0–1 | 1–1 | Friendly | |
| 9. | 26 March 2005 |  Vasil Levski National StadiumVasil Levski National Stadium Vasil Levski National Stadium , named after Bulgarian national hero Vasil Levski, is one of Bulgaria's largest sports venues and the country's second largest stadium... , Sofia Sofia Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated... |
0–1 | 0–3 | 2006 World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup... |
|
| 10. | 26 March 2005 | Vasil Levski National Stadium Vasil Levski National Stadium Vasil Levski National Stadium , named after Bulgarian national hero Vasil Levski, is one of Bulgaria's largest sports venues and the country's second largest stadium... , Sofia Sofia Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated... |
0–3 | 0–3 | 2006 World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup... |
|
| 11. | 4 June 2005 | Ullevi Ullevi Ullevi is a stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The stadium was built for the 1958 FIFA World Cup, but since then Ullevi has also hosted the 1995 World Championships in Athletics and the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1983 and 1990, the UEFA Euro 1992... , Göteborg |
5–0 | 6–0 | 2006 World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup... |
|
| 12. | 3 September 2005 | Råsunda, Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2006 World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA) Listed below are the dates and results for the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for UEFA teams. A total of 51 teams took part, divided in 8 Groups - five groups of 6 teams each and three groups of 7 teams each - competing for 13 places in the World Cup... |
|
| 13. | 15 June 2006 |  OlympiastadionOlympic Stadium (Berlin) The Olympiastadion is a sports stadium in Berlin, Germany. There have been two stadiums on the site: the present facility, and one that is called the Deutsches Stadion which was built for the aborted 1916 Summer Olympics. Both were designed by members of the same family, the first by Otto March... , Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2006 World Cup 2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... |
|
| 14. | 13 October 2007 |  Rheinpark StadionRheinpark Stadion The Rheinpark Stadion in Vaduz is the national stadium of Liechtenstein. It plays host to the home matches of the Liechtenstein national football team, and is also the home of Liechtenstein's top football club, FC Vaduz.... , Vaduz Vaduz Vaduz is the capital of the principality of Liechtenstein and the seat of the national parliament. The town, located along the Rhine, has about 5,100 inhabitants , most of whom are Roman Catholic. Its cathedral is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishop.... |
0–1 | 0–3 | Euro 2008 qualification | |
Career statistics
|-|1994
Allsvenskan 1994
Allsvenskan 1994, part of the 1994 Swedish football season, was the 70th Allsvenskan season played. IFK Göteborg won the league ahead of runners-up Örebro SK, while Landskrona BoIS and BK Häcken were relegated.- League table :...
||rowspan="5"|Halmstad
Halmstads BK
Halmstads Bollklubb, also called HBK or just Halmstad, is a Swedish football club located in Halmstad in the southwest of Sweden. The club, formed 6 March 1914, competes in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan, and has won 4 national championship titles and 1 national cup title...
||rowspan="5"|Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan
Allsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
||1||0||||||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||1||0
|-
|1995
Allsvenskan 1995
Allsvenskan 1995, part of the 1995 Swedish football season, was the 71st Allsvenskan season played. IFK Göteborg won the league ahead of runners-up Helsingborgs IF, while Hammarby IF and Västra Frölunda IF were relegated.- League table :...
||16||1||||||colspan="2"|-||4||0||20||1
|-
|1996
Allsvenskan 1996
Allsvenskan 1996, part of the 1996 Swedish football season, was the 72nd Allsvenskan season played. IFK Göteborg won the league ahead of runners-up Malmö FF, while Umeå FC, Djurgårdens IF and IK Oddevold were relegated.- League table :...
||20||2||||||colspan="2"|-||3||0||23||2
|-
|1997
Allsvenskan 1997
Allsvenskan 1997, part of the 1997 Swedish football season, was the 73rd Allsvenskan season played. Halmstads BK won the league ahead of runners-up IFK Göteborg, while Västerås SK, Degerfors IF and Panos Ljungskile SK were relegated.- League table :...
||24||5||||||colspan="2"|-||4||1||28||6
|-
|1998
Allsvenskan 1998
Allsvenskan 1998, part of the 1998 Swedish football season, was the 74th Allsvenskan season played. AIK won the league ahead of runners-up Helsingborgs IF, while BK Häcken and Östers IF were relegated.- League table :...
||18||2||||||colspan="2"|-||2||0||20||2
79||10||||||colspan="2"|-||13||1||92||11
|-
|1998–99||rowspan="9"|Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
||rowspan="10"|Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
||16||1||||||||||colspan="2"|-||16||1
|-
|1999–00||26||6||||||||||14||2||40||8
|-
|2000–01||30||6||||||||||13||2||43||8
|-
|2001–02||25||12||5||2||0||0||9||3||39||17
|-
|2002–03||20||6||4||1||0||0||8||2||32||9
|-
|2003–04||30||4||4||4||0||0||9||2||43||10
|-
|2004–05||26||10||6||2||0||0||6||2||38||14
|-
|2005–06||25||1||1||0||1||0||9||1||36||2
|-
|2006–07||18||0||3||1||0||0||5||1||26||2
|-
|2007–08||West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
||25||2||1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|-||26||2
241||48||24||10||1||0||73||15||339||73
|-
|2009||rowspan="2"|Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC
Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The club competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Sounders FC was established in November 2007 as a MLS expansion team, making it the 15th team in...
||rowspan="3"|Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
||22||2||1||0||2||0||0||0||25||2
|-
|2010
2010 Major League Soccer season
The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion...
||15||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||15||0
|-
|2010
2010 Major League Soccer season
The 2010 Major League Soccer season was the 98th season of FIFA-sanctioned soccer, the 32nd with a national first-division league, in the United States and Canada, and the 15th in MLS history. It began on March 25 at Seattle's Qwest Field with Seattle Sounders FC defeating the expansion...
||Chicago Fire||15||2||0||0||0||0||0||0||15||2
52||4||1||0||2||0||0||0||55||4
|-
|2010–11||rowspan="1"|Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
||rowspan="1"|Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||7||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||8||0
7||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||8||0
|-
|2011
2011 J. League Division 1
The 2011 J. League Division 1 season is the 46th season of Japanese top flight football and 19th since the establishment of the J. League. The season began on March 5 and is scheduled to end on December 3, with a planned five-week summer break between June 27–July 29 in order to allow preparation...
||rowspan="1"|Shimizu S-Pulse
Shimizu S-Pulse
is a professional Japanese association football club. Located in Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture, S-Pulse currently competes in the J. League Division 1 . Formed as recently as 1991, S-Pulse are one of the youngest professional teams in Japan, but are among only five to have competed in...
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|1998||6||1
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|1999||7||1
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|2000||8||0
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|2001||9||0
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|2002||5||0
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|2003||4||1
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|2004||10||4
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|2005||7||5
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|2006||8||1
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|2007||6||1
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|2008||5||0
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!Total||75||14
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Awards
- 1998 Swedish FA prizes for "Best Midfielder of the year"
- 1998 Swedish FA prizes for "People's player of the year"
- 1998 Nominated for the Sexiest Men in the World
- 2000 Arsenal FC Player of the Month (January and February)
- 2000 Arsenal FC Dreamcast Player of the Season competition came 2nd
- 2000 AFCi Awards "Most Improved Arsenal Player" for the 1999–2000 season1999-2000 in English football-Premier League:Manchester United were crowned FA Premier League champions with an 18-point margin over runners-up Arsenal and with just 3 league defeats all season. This was despite their failure to retain the European Cup and withdrawal from the FA Cup in order to compete in the FIFA Club World...
- 2000 2nd in AFCi Awards "Arsenal Player of the Season"
- 2002 April BarclayCard Premier League Player of the Month
- 2002 Winner of GuldbollenGuldbollenGuldbollen, , is a Swedish football award given by the Aftonbladet and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year....
, the award for the best Swedish footballer of the year - 2002 MVP BarclayCard Premier League Player of the Year
- 2003 Overseas Premier League All-Star Team of the Decade, by Premier League and fans
- 2006 Winner of GuldbollenGuldbollenGuldbollen, , is a Swedish football award given by the Aftonbladet and the Swedish Football Association to the best male Swedish footballer each year....
, the award for the best Swedish footballer of the year - 2007 Third Best Looking Male Athlete in the World voted by Sports Illustrated
- 2007 17th Best Dressed Man in the World voted by US Esquire
- 2007 Sexiest player in the Premier League voted by The Sun
- 2008 Voted by Arsenal FC fans as the 11th best player in history in the club
- 2008 In the Top 10 Celeb's Women Lust After. Glamour Magazine
- 2008 E! (Entertainment Channel, USA) among Sexiest Men in the World
- 2009 Voted most popular player to start the MLS All-Star Game 2009, by the fans
- 2009 Captain of the MLS All-Star Game 2009, vs Everton FC, England
- 2009 October Voted MLS Player of the Month
- 2009 Nominated for Newcomer of the Year in MLS 2009
- 2009 Selected for the MLS Season All-Star Team, called Best XI
- 2010 Howard Es Player of the year
Arsenal
- Premier League (2): 2001–02FA Premier League 2001-02The 2001–02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition. It began with a new sponsor, Barclaycard, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, Carling...
, 2003–04FA Premier League 2003-04The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the... - FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
(3): 20022002 FA Cup FinalThe 2002 FA Cup Final was the final match of the 2001–02 FA Cup competition. It was an all-London affair between Arsenal and Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium on 4 May 2002...
, 2003, 2005 - FA Charity Shield (1): 19991999 FA Charity ShieldThe 1999 FA Charity Shield was a football match held on 1 August 1999 at Wembley Stadium. The teams involved were Manchester United, who had won the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League the previous season, and Arsenal, who had finished as runners-up to United in the league. Arsenal won...
Halmstad
- AllsvenskanAllsvenskanAllsvenskan is a Swedish professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Swedish football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Superettan...
(1): 19971997 in Swedish footballThe 1997 season in Swedish football, starting January 1997 and ending December 1997:- Official titles :- Competitions :- Promotions :- Relegations :- International qualifications :- Allsvenskan 1997 :... - Svenska CupenSvenska CupenSvenska Cupen , is a knockout cup competition in Swedish football and the main Swedish football cup. Svenska Cupen usually refers to the men's tournament, although a women's tournament is also held. Each year 98 teams compete, comprising the 16 teams from Allsvenskan and the 16 teams of Superettan...
(1): 1995
Seattle Sounders FC
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open CupLamar Hunt U.S. Open CupThe Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a knockout tournament in American soccer. The tournament is the oldest ongoing American soccer competition and is presently open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of Major League...
(1): 20092009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open CupThe 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 96th edition of the oldest competition in American soccer, running from June through early September.The tournament proper features teams from the top five levels of the American Soccer Pyramid...
Individual
- Overseas Team of the Decade – Premier League 10 Seasons AwardsPremier League 10 Seasons AwardsThe Premier League 10 Seasons Awards were a set of English football awards which marked the first 10 years of competition in the Premier League, the top-level domestic league competition of professional football in England...
(1992/93 – 2001/02) - Swedish Player of the Year: 2002, 2006
- Swedish Midfielder of the Year: 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
- MLS Best XIMLS Best XIThe MLS Best XI is an acknowledgement of the best eleven players in the league in a given season for Major League Soccer in Canada and the United States.-Winners:*Players in bold text also won the Major League Soccer MVP Award award for that season....
: 2009 - Folkets Lirare (Player of the People): 1998
External links
- Freddie Speaks Up! Official site
- Freddie Ljungberg Celtic FC
- Freddie Ljungberg profile Major League Soccer