Roger Ljung

Roger Ljung

Personal information
Full name	Roger Ljung
Date of birth	January 8, 1966 (1966-01-08)
Place of birth	Lomma, Sweden
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	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	33	(0)
1991–1993	Admira Wacker	81	(26)
1993–1994	Galatasaray	25	(2)
1994–1995	Duisburg	13	(0)
National team
1984–1988	Sweden U21	?	(?)
1988–1995	Sweden	59	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Roger Ljung (born 8 January 1966) is a retired Swedish footballer who played as a left defender.

In a 10-year professional career, he played, other than in his country, in Switzerland, Austria, Turkey and Germany, representing six differents teams, namely Malmö and Admira Wacker.

A Swedish international on nearly 60 occasions, Ljung represented the country in two World Cups - helping to a third-place finish in 1994 - and one European Championship.

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 Allsvenskan outfit Malmö FF, being mostly used as a substitute in his early years, and being on the roster as the club won five national 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 club 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 transferred to MSV Duisburg in Germany. After appearing in less of half of the games during the season and also suffering relegation from the Bundesliga, he decided to retire from football at only 29.

International career

Ljung played 59 matches for the Swedish national team, scoring four goals. He was picked for the squad that appeared in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, playing only once in an eventual group stage exit.

Ljung was also selected for the team in UEFA Euro 1992, 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. This time, he was an undisputed starter for the side - playing in six of seven games - whom eventually finished third.

Ljung also participated in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, with Sweden ousting in the quarterfinals.

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; newspaper Aftonbladet considered him to be Sweden's most successful agent.

Ljung's most notable client was Fredrik 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.

Other players Ljung worked for included Marcus Allbäck, Patrik Andersson, Erik Edman, Andreas Isaksson, Kim Källström, and Teddy Lucic.

External links

• Roger Ljung at National-Football-Teams.com
• WorldFootball profile