Roger Ljung

Roger Ingemar Ljung (born 8 January 1966) is a Swedish former professional footballer who played as a left back. He played for clubs in Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Turkey, and Germany during a career that spanned between 1983 and 1995. He won 59 caps for the Sweden national team, and represented his country at the 1990 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 1992, as well as the 1994 FIFA World Cup where Sweden finished third.

Roger Ljung
Personal information
Full name Roger Ingemar Ljung
Date of birth (1966-01-08) 8 January 1966
Place of birth Lomma, Sweden
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Left back
Youth career
Lunds BK
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1984 Lunds BK 47 (9)
1985–1989 Malmö FF 53 (4)
1989–1990 Young Boys 29 (4)
1990–1991 Zürich 21 (0)
1991–1993 Admira Wacker 90 (26)
1993–1994 Galatasaray 15 (2)
1994–1995 MSV Duisburg 13 (0)
Total 268 (45)
International career
1984–1988 Sweden U17 2 (0)
1988–1995 Sweden U19 20 (4)
1984–1988 Sweden U21/O 14 (1)
1988–1995 Sweden 59 (3)
Medal record
 Sweden
FIFA World Cup
Bronze medal – third place1994
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Born in Lomma, Scania, Ljung started his football career at the age of six, with lowly Lunds BK. In 1985, he was purchased by Malmö FF, being mostly used as a substitute in his early years[1] and being on the roster as the club won five Allsvenskan championships in a row, with the player contributing regularly in the 1987 and 1988 editions.

In the summer of 1989, Ljung transferred to BSC Young Boys in Switzerland, moving in the following season to another side in the Swiss Super League, FC Zürich. He enjoyed his best individual years in Austria with FC Admira Wacker, scoring 26 Bundesliga goals in 67 games in his first two years combined, albeit without team silverware.

In 1994, after some months in Turkey with Galatasaray SK, Ljung signed with MSV Duisburg from Germany.[2] After appearing in less of half of the games during the campaign and also suffering relegation from the Bundesliga, he decided to retire from football at only 29.

International career

Ljung played 59 international games for Sweden, scoring three goals. He was picked for the squad that appeared in the 1990 FIFA World Cup in Italy, playing only once in an eventual group stage exit.

Ljung was also selected for the team in UEFA Euro 1992, in Sweden played on home soil. His contribution to the final third-place was again minimal, as he only featured in the 2–3 semifinal loss against Germany.

In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, Ljung opened the national team's scoring account in a 2–2 group stage draw against Cameroon.[3] This time, he was an undisputed first-choice – playing in six of seven games – and the country eventually finished third.

Ljung also participated in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, with Sweden ousted in the quarter-finals.[4]

Post-retirement

After retiring from professional football in 1995, Ljung became a sports agent. He started his own agency in Lomma, Roger Ljung Promotion AB, being at the time one of only three licensed agents in the country;[5] newspaper Aftonbladet considered him to be Sweden's most successful agent.[6]

Ljung's most notable client was Freddie Ljungberg, who played several years in the Premier League. He brokered his deal with Arsenal for a £3 million transfer fee, and the pair parted ways in December 2006 when the player signed with mega-agency Creative Artists.[7]

Other players Ljung worked for included Marcus Allbäck,[8] Patrik Andersson,[5] Erik Edman,[9] Andreas Isaksson,[10] Kim Källström[11] and Teddy Lucic.[12]

Career statistics

International
Appearances and goals by national team and year[13]
National team Year Apps Goals
Sweden 1988 7 0
1989 9 2
1990 6 0
1991 7 0
1992 6 0
1993 9 0
1994 11 1
1995 4 0
Total 59 3
Scores and results list Sweden's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Ljung goal.
List of international goals scored by Roger Ljung
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 7 May 1989 Råsunda Stadium, Solna, Sweden  Poland 1–0 2–1 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification [14]
2 16 June 1989 Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark  Brazil 2–0 2–1 1989 Tri Tournament [15]
3 19 June 1994 Rose Bowl, Pasadena, United States  Cameroon 1–0 2–2 1994 FIFA World Cup [16]

References
  1. "Från reservlaget till landslaget" [From the reserve team to the national team] (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan. 24 June 2009. Archived from the original on 1 July 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  2. "Svenska fotbollsspelare i Tyskland" [Swedish footballers in German] (in Swedish). Tysk Fotboll. 18 May 2009. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  3. "Cameroon – World Cup". RSSSF. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  4. Roger Ljung – FIFA competition record (archived)
  5. "Marknaden mättad på agenter" [The market is saturated with agents] (in Swedish). Sydsvenskan. 25 April 2005. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  6. "Dahlins nya jobb – agent" [Dahlin's new job – agent] (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 18 April 2001. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  7. "Arsène acts over movie star Freddie". Daily Mirror. 12 January 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  8. "Saints interest in Allback confirmed". Sky Sports. 12 January 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  9. "One-third of Spurs' fee for Edman went to agents". The Guardian. 20 January 2005. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  10. "City let James go to Pompey". The Guardian. 11 August 2006. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  11. "Villa complete Scandinavian signing". The Guardian. 18 October 2002. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  12. "Teddy Lucic: Jag får mycket bra betalt" [Teddy Lucic: I get very well paid] (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. 12 December 1998. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
  13. "Roger Ljung - Spelarstatistik - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se. (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  14. "Sverige - Polen - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  15. "Brasilien - Sverige - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  16. "Sverige - Kamerun - Matchfakta - Svensk fotboll". www.svenskfotboll.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 December 2020.
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