Fredrik Ljungberg Karl Fredrik Freddie Ljungberg (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈfreːdrɪk ˈjɵŋ.ˈbærj]) (born 16 April 1977 in Vittsjö, Sweden) is a Swedish footballer playing for Mumbai City FC in Indian Super League, where he is the marquee player. His last club was Shimizu S-Pulse after his contract was terminated by mutual consent. 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[2] until 2007.[3] He previously represented brands such as Nike, Procter & Gamble, LOreal and currently represents Puma, ESPN and Pepsi, as well as running his own blog since October 2009. He has signed a deal with IMG-Reliance to take part in a proposed football league to be played in 2014 in India.[4] [5] Early life Ljungberg was born on 16 April 1977 in Vittsjö, 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.[6] On 12 September 1984, the Ljungbergs had another son, Karl Oskar Filip.[7] 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.[7] 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.[8] Ljungberg credits Eriksson for having a profound effect on his career as well as Brazilian football player, Sócrates.[9] Also in his youth, he enjoyed playing ice hockey and developed a talent for handball; he was eventually called up to the under-15 national handball team,[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] Club career Halmstads BK In 1989, at the age of 12, Ljungberg had convinced Halmstads BK to move him from p12 to p14 which was against Halmstads policies at the time.[13] 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.[14] Arsenal Ljungberg, second from left, in a match between Arsenal and Middlesbrough, September 2006 Ljungberg was signed by Arsenal in 1998 for £3 million, which at the time was the highest transfer fee ever for a Swedish player. Arsenal scouts watched him for over a year and Arsenals 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 he 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.[15] Some of Ljungbergs 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 Arsenals remaining games, including a stunning finish for Arsenals 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 which Thierry Henry scored and then he slotted in a sweet finish from a Robert Pirès cross. He scored an identical goal again against Liverpool at Highbury three weeks later. The matched ended up being a 1–1 draw. Ljungberg ended the 2001–02 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 Cant Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: We love you Freddie, because youve got red hair, we love you Freddie because youre everywhere, we love you Freddie, youre Arsenal through and through Later when he shaved his head this was updated to We love you Freddie, because youve 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 Finals. He also scored a penalty in the shootout in Arsenals 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 Arsenals 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 migraines; 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.[16] 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, Arsène 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.[17][18] 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 Arsenals Gunners Greatest 50 Players.[19]
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 13:51:33 +0000
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