Fredrick Ljungberg, nicknamed ‘Freddie’, is an international footballer, who was born on April 16, 1977 in Vittsjö, Sweden. He represented Sweden at the Under-21 level and progressed to play for the senior national side and made his debut on January 24, 1998 against the United States of America. He played at Euro 2000 as well as the 2002 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup. For his performance in 2002, he received the Guldbollen, the award for the best Swedish footballer of the year. He also played at Euro 2004 and 2006 FIFA World Cup, where his good show earned him the 2006 Guldbollen. In August 8, 2006, Fredrick Ljungberg took over from Olof Mellberg as the national team captain and he led Sweden at Euro 2008. He played his last match for his country in last group stage match against Russia on June 18, 2008 at this championship, before announcing his retirement from international football on June 27, 2008.
Fredrick Ljungberg started as a youth player when he was just five years old at Halmstads Bollklubb, a Swedish football club. He played his first game for the Halmstad senior side on October 23, 1994 against Allmänna Idrottsklubben in the Swedish First Division. He was a key member of the team that won the Swedish League title as well as the Swedish Cup in 1995. In 1998, Fredrick Ljungberg was awarded the Swedish Football Association’s Best Midfielder and People’s Player of the Year awards. During his tenure with the club, he played 139 matches and scored 16 goals.
In 1998, Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger authorised the signing of Fredrick Ljungberg for £3 million after seeing him play on television in a game for Sweden against England. Fredrick Ljungberg made his debut for Arsenal with a goal against Manchester United after coming on as a substitute to help his team win the match by 3-0 score line. In the summer of 2000, he became a regular choice for the Arsenal’s first-team and won many honors, including Player of the Month awards for January and February and Most Improved Arsenal Player of the season award. He was the runner-up for both Dreamcast Player of the Season and Arsenal’s Player of the Season awards. In 2001, Fredrick Ljungberg struck a goal against Liverpool in Cardiff to become the first player to score in the Football Association (FA) Cup final outside England. He was in top form in the second half of the 2001-02 season, and helped the Gunners win the Premiership title. In 2002, he became the first player to score in consecutive FA Cup finals, when he scored the second goal in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Chelsea, helping to win its second Premiership and FA Cup double. By the end of the season, Fredrick Ljungberg proved to be a versatile player for Arsenal, capable of playing at both wings of the midfield, central midfield and also as a second striker.
He had to miss out few games in the following seasons due to his injury problems and though he was still struggling with his ankle injury, he played in the Champions League final against Barcelona on May 17, 2006. In January 2007, there were speculations that Fredrick Ljungberg will have to leave Arsenal as he is not playing regularly due to his injuries. But Arsene Wenger denied these reports and said that Fredrick Ljungberg still had a lot to offer to the team, and added that he would stay in the team until the end of his contract in 2009.
However, Fredrick Ljungberg did leave Arsenal and joined West Ham United on July 23, 2007 on a four-year contract. He played his first game for the Hammers against Manchester City on August 11, 2007, in which he was also a captain. Fredrick Ljungberg scored his first league goal for the club against Birmingham City on February 9, 2008 and by the end of his first season with the club, he had made 30 appearances with four goals to his credit.
Apart from football, Fredrick Ljungberg is also passionate about Interior Designing, which he is considering as an alternative career. He even has plans to start his own company and is determined to do well in it.
