Fredrik Ljungberg - Biography

Last Editor: shailesh_b				Fredrik Ljungberg Biography -   Name : Fredrik Ljungberg Date of birth : April 16, 1977 Place of birth : Vittsjö

Fredrik Ljungberg Trivia -

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Fredrik Ljungberg Detailed Biography -

Karl Fredrik "Freddie" Ljungberg (born April 16, 1977 in Vittsjö) is a Swedish footballer who currently plays for Arsenal F.C. in the English Premiership. He is also sometime underwear model for Calvin Klein. He has also played handball, ice hockey and golf. He currently resides in Hampstead, London, and in Halmstad when in Sweden. Ljungberg joined Arsenal in 1998. He previously played for Halmstads BK in Sweden, where he made 139 appearances and scored 16 goals. He goalscoring rate has improved significantly after joining Arsenal. Arsenal's manager, Arsène Wenger, took the unusual step of authorising the signing of Ljungberg after watching him play for Sweden in their defeat of England on television, without making a personal scouting trip. It seemed a strange way to complete business, but he was hearing good things about the Swedish midfielder; Wenger was believed to be just waiting to see how he would cope against English opponents. Ljungberg passed the test without difficulty and made a sensational debut scoring against Manchester United (Arsenal's main rivals for the Premiership title), coming on the field as a substitute. Many consider his "purple patch" of form towards the end of the 2001-2002 season crucial to Arsenal's Premiership and FA Cup double; Robert Pirès had recently been ruled out for months through a knee injury. Ljungberg came in and scored in most of Arsenal's remaining games, including a stunning finish in the FA Cup final against Chelsea. He is most comfortable in midfield; since the departure of Emmanuel Petit and Marc Overmars, Ljungberg has been a regular in Arsenal's starting lineup and has cemented his first team place. He has had to fight with constant injury problems and occasionally severe bouts with migraines; in 2005 a mysterious persistent hip injury led to fears he may have contracted cancer, which were thankfully unfounded. For Sweden, Ljungberg played at Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup, and Euro 2004. He has appeared over 50 times for his country, scoring 8 goals. As of October 22, 2005, Ljungberg has played 179 Premiership games for Arsenal, scoring 45 goals and making 24 assists. In the Champions League, he has played 48 games and scored 13 goals. He is currently the longest serving player in Arsenal, apart from Highbury legend Dennis Bergkamp.