Karl Fredrik Ljungberg (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈfrěːdrɪk ˈjɵ̂ŋːbærj]; born 16 April 1977) is a Swedish professional football manager and former player who played as a wide midfielder or winger. He was most recently an assistant coach, and interim head coach of Premier League club Arsenal.
He began his career at Halmstad and went on to spend most of his career at Arsenal, where he won honours including two Premier League titles and three FA Cups, scoring in two finals including the victory in 2002. 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 represented Sweden national team at UEFA Euro 2000, 2004 and 2008, as well as at the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups. He was captain of Sweden from 2006 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'Oréal, Puma, Beats, ESPN and Pepsi.
Ljungberg was born on 16 April 1977 in Vittsjö to Roy Alve Erling Ljungberg, an owner of a construction and consultant business with a masters in engineering, 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 five-year old would not have any part of moving. He 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 manager Olle Eriksson.
From the time he was from five to fourteen, 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. He credits the Brazilian footballer Sócrates, and Eriksson for having a profound effect on his career. During his youth days, Ljungberg also enjoyed playing ice hockey and developed a talent for handball; he was eventually called up to the under-15 national handball team, but decided to focus his attentions on football.
Ljungberg did well in academic subjects and sports. When he finished ninth grade in his högstadium school, his marks averaged 4.1 on the five-point scale. At the age of 18, Ljungberg attended university to study information technology and economics, but he 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.
In 1989, at the age of 12, Ljungberg had convinced Halmstads BK 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 Svenska Cupen. In 1997, Halmstad won the Allsvenskan with Ljungberg netting and assisting goals that season for the club, despite picking up injuries. During his time with Halmstad, he went on to make 139 appearances and score 16 goals for the club. After winning several trophies in his 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. 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 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. Ljungberg made 21 appearances across all competitions in his first season, and 43 in his second (1999-2000). He missed the 2000 UEFA Cup Final due to a rib injury. At the end of his third season at Arsenal, 2000–01, they got to the 2001 FA Cup Final. Ljungberg scored to put Arsenal 1-0 up but then Liverpool scored two late goals to win 2–1. This made Ljungberg the first player to score a goal at an FA Cup final outside England, with the game being the first final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
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 Pires, 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, in a game where Arsenal went on to win 3–1. He was instrumental in Arsenal's 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 Pires cross. He scored a nearly identical goal again against Liverpool at Highbury three weeks later, where the matched ended up being a 1–1 draw. Ljungberg ended the 2001–02 season scoring 17 goals in all competitions. In the 2002 FA Cup Final he became the first player in 40 years to score in consecutive FA Cup Finals.
In the 2002–03 season Ljungberg helped Arsenal reach a third consecutive FA Cup final. He scored the winning goal in the semi-final against Sheffield United, and then started the final as Arsenal defeated Southampton. It was Ljungberg's blocked shot which set up Robert Pires to score the winning goal. This season Ljungberg also scored his first hat-trick for Arsenal in a 4–0 win at Sunderland.
In 2003–04 Ljungberg made 30 league appearances during Arsenal's unbeaten Invincibles season. That season he scored the winning goal against rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Highbury. The following season (2004–05) Ljungberg played in his fourth FA Cup final, when he came on as a substitute and scored one of Arsenal's penalties in the shootout as they defeated Manchester United.
He was most comfortable as a winger on either side of midfield, though he could also play centrally in a 4–5–1 formation, or even as a second striker. Ljungberg became a regular in Arsenal's starting line-up 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.
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.
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 a game away at rivals Tottenham Hotspur on 21 April 2007 Ljungberg limped off with an injury in the first half, and this proved to be his final appearance for the club.