Born in 1977, in Vittsjo, Sweden, Fredrik Ljungberg joined Halmstads at the age of five, and also played several other sports including ice hockey and handball, for which he was called up to the national youth squad.

At the age of 17, he made his senior first division debut against AIK on 23 October 1994 and went on to make 139 appearances - scoring 16 goals - for the club. After winning his first full cap for Sweden against the USA in January 1998, he then starred in Sweden's Euro 2000 qualifier victory over England nine months later. His dazzling performance persuaded Arsene Wenger to splash the cash in a £3m deal and, on 20 September 1998, Ljungberg marked a memorable Highbury debut by stepping off the bench and sealing a 3-0 win against Manchester United with the first of his 72 goals. With the Highbury club he made a total of 216 league and cup appearances – including a Champions League Final against Barcelona in May 2006. The Swedish national captain had also won 67 senior caps and scored 13 goals for his country.

 
On 23 July 2007, the 30-year-old international made the switch to east London after nine years at Arsenal, having agreed a four-year contract with West Ham United for an undisclosed fee.

 
The goalscoring midfielder made his Hammers debut on the opening day of the 2007-08 campaign, captaining West Ham in a forgettable 2-0 home defeat to Sven-Goran Eriksson's Manchester City. Ljungberg added to his international appearances with the first of his additional eight caps by scoring in a 3-0 win against Liechtenstein in a European Championship qualifier on 13 October 2007. After seven months at the club, the midfielder finally scored his first goal in Claret and Blue in the home match against Birmingham City on 9 February 2008, putting West Ham 1-0 up, with the game finishing 1-1. Ljungberg also scored away at Sunderland a month later in a 1-2 defeat, being his final goal for the club.

The midfielder was plagued with fitness problems, injuries and a debilitating migraine, as well as missing the final two games of the Premier League season with a rib injury. The unfortunate player would make just 28 appearances in his first and, as it turned out, last season at the Boleyn Ground.

 
Ljungberg battled back to captain the Swedish national side at the EURO 2008 finals in Austria-Switzerland, winning the last of his 75 caps on 18 June 2008 when the Scandinavian nation was eliminated after the group stage. Later that same month Ljungberg announced his retirement from international football to concentrate on his playing commitments with West Ham United.

However, on 6 August 2008 the Club announced they had reached an agreement with the player to terminate his contract on undisclosed terms with immediate effect. Responding to a newspaper article about the club parting company with the midfielder. The Club said “the termination of Ljungberg’s contract was agreed mutually and was in the best interests of West Ham United and the player. This was a footballing decision based on the fact the 31-year-old midfielder’s first-team chances would have been limited for the new campaign and allows the club to redirect the wage-saving elsewhere.”

Ljungberg stated afterwards: "I gave my all at West Ham and enjoyed my time there but the decision is the best for the both of us. Now, I will take my time to consider my football future."

On 28 October 2008, Ljungberg signed for USA Major League Soccer outfit Seattle Sounders and later traded to Chicago Fire in July 2009; a year later he signed for Glasgow Celtic and saw out his playing days with Shimizu S-Pulse in Japan. Two years later, in July 2014, he came out of retirement to turn out for Indian side Mumbai City FC.

In May 2013, he returned to Arsenal in an ambassadorial role and in 2016 he joined the Gunners Academy coaching their Under-15s and in 2018 as their Under-23 coach. With the sacking of first-team head coach Unai Emery in November 2009, Ljungberg took over as interim manager. After a record of two defeats, three draws and achieved his first and only win, beating West Ham 3-1 before the appointment of Mikel Arteta.