Fredrik Ljungberg
Karl Fredrik "Freddie" Ljungberg (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈfreːdrɪk ˈjɵŋ.ˈbærj]) (born 16 April 1977 in Vittsjö, Sweden) is a Swedish former footballer who played as a winger.
He began his career at Halmstads BK and went on to spend most of his career at Arsenal, where he won honours including two Premier League titles and two FA Cups, scoring one goal in the 2002 final. After leaving Arsenal in 2007, he had short spells at a number of clubs in England, Scotland, the United States, Japan and India. An international for a full decade, Ljungberg earned 75 caps and was captain of the Swedish national team until he announced his international retirement afterUEFA Euro 2008.
Ljungberg was a model for Calvin Klein underwear[2] until 2007.[3] 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.
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.[4] On 12 September 1984, the Ljungbergs had another son, Karl Oskar Filip.[5] 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.[5]
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.[6] Ljungberg credits Eriksson for having a profound effect on his career as well as Brazilian football player, Sócrates.[7] 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,[8] 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.[9] 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.[
2006 World Cup
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.[72]
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."[73]
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."[74]
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.
Honours
Club
- Halmstad[90]
- Premier League: 2001–02, 2003–04
- FA Cup: 2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05
- FA Community Shield: 1999, 2002, 2004
- Seattle Sounders[92]
- Celtic[90]
Individual[edit]
- Premier League Player of the Season: 2001–02[93]
- Premier League Player of the Month: April 2002[91]
- Premier League Overseas Team of the Decade (1): 1992/93 – 2001/02[94]
- ESM Team of the Year: 2001–02[95]
- Swedish Player of the Year: 2002, 2006[96]
- Swedish Midfielder of the Year: 1998, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
- MLS Best XI: 2009[92]
- MLS Player of the Month: October 2009[92]
- Fotbollsgalan Folkets Lirare ("Fan's Player of the Year"): 1998
Personal life
Ljungberg married long-time partner Natalie Foster, whom he met while playing at West Ham, on 9 June 2014 at ceremony in front of the Natural History Museum, London. The daughter of a business executive, Foster is a fan of Arsenal's local rivals Tottenham Hotspur.[97][98]
 Ljungberg playing in the Match Against Poverty in March 2014 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Karl Fredrik Ljungberg | ||
| Date of birth | 16 April 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Vittsjö, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1982–1994 | Halmstads BK | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–1998 | Halmstads BK | 79 | (10) |
| 1998–2007 | Arsenal | 216 | (72) |
| 2007–2008 | West Ham United | 25 | (2) |
| 2009–2010 | Seattle Sounders FC | 37 | (2) |
| 2010 | Chicago Fire | 15 | (2) |
| 2011 | Celtic | 7 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Shimizu S-Pulse | 8 | (0) |
| 2014 | Mumbai City | 4 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 1993 | Sweden U16 | 4 | (0) |
| 1994 | Sweden U18 | 8 | (1) |
| 1995–1998 | Sweden U21 | 12 | (5) |
| 1998–2008 | Sweden | 75 | (14) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário