Freddie Ljungberg likes making bold statements. Throughout a career that has been scattered with individual performances that have lit up England’s top-flight, the dynamic Swede has often played by his own rules. His recent decision to spend what could be the final months of his career with Scottish giants Celtic is likely to be the final bold pronouncement as Ljungberg comes to grips with the fact that he can no longer cope with the demands of the Premier League.
When Ljungberg followed Thierry Henry’s decision to leave the Emirates in the summer of 2007, citing a lack of ambition from Arsene Wenger’s men, he appeared to be taking the view that the Arsenal side he had once contributed so much to, had become unable to match the ever relentless pace set by front runners Chelsea, and old foes, Manchester United. Ljungberg’s prophecy of the future appears to have been vindicated, if only he could have seen the downturn his own career would take after moving out of North London.
Within a year of moving across the capital to London rivals, West Ham, Ljungberg’s star was already on the slide. Having stated a desire to propel the Hammers into European contention, Freddie’s form evaporated, and despite giving up underwear modelling to focus on his game, it was quickly apparent that his time at Upton Park would be brief.
After a disappointing summer at Euro 2008 Ljungberg cut his losses and retired from the international scene. Within weeks he was also on his way out of English football after failing to attend a large portion of pre-season it was announced that both he and West Ham had decided to go their separate ways.
After watching disinterested and uninspiring performances from Ljungberg during his final season in the top-flight, it is hard to believe that there were so many offers on the table from Premier League sides. The two years spent plying his trade in the football backwaters of the MLS with Chicago Fire and Seattle Sounders did little to persuade Ljungberg himself that he could still handle the highest standard of football available, even if some clubs saw things differently.
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If only Ljungberg’s honesty had been matched by former fellow Gunner, Robert Pires. Pires, like Ljungberg was not afforded a grand exit in a red shirt when he decided to make the move to Spanish side Villareal four and a half years ago. His final contribution as an Arsenal player was to be sacrificed after Jens Lehmann’s red card in the opening minutes of the 2006 Champions League final. Clearly Pires felt he had some unfinished business in England when he joined Aston Villa on a short-term deal earlier this season.
On the one hand you can understand Pires’ desire to keep pushing himself, he only needs to look at players such as Ryan Giggs, Gary Speed or Paul Scholes to appreciate that age need not be a barrier to success in England. Whereas Ljungberg slipped into a celebrity lifestyle during his years outside of Britain, Pires kept playing his football at a high level before leaving Spain at the end of last season, the chance of a brief but successful Premier League swansong appeared credible.
For Ljungberg, his move to Celtic is another indication of where the Scottish Premier League is in relation to it’s English counterpart. Whilst he is three years younger than his former Arsenal colleague it has dawned on the Swede that another spell in English football would only damage a reputation that once marked Ljungberg as one of the finest wingers in Europe, and affected the hairstyles of thousands of young kids. A journey into the far calmer waters of the SPL would appear to be his best bet of more silverware, without the risk of ruining his memory in the minds of football fans across England.
However, in a league which prides itself in the high intensity of it’s football, Robert Pires has shown himself to be a faded force in a Villa side lingering ominously above the relegation zone. Despite endeavouring to roll back the clock to his years running around Highbury, the former French international will surely see his career draw to a close in May, his story of not knowing when to stop giving further credence to the old adage; “never go back.”
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