Quotes from Freddie Ljungberg

I had to have tests for cancer and other diseases - it wasn't much fun. I was getting a shooting pain in my hip and we didn't know what it was. First of all we thought it was an old injury. But they didn't find anything wrong, even though when I had an ultrasound test it was all really swollen.

And at West Ham no one gives you a puzzled look if you get called up for your national team and players are never asked to play on injections.

Some people thought I was crazy when I quit Europe to go to the U.S., but for me the quality of life and the place I live is important.

When friends come over from Europe, they think it's going to be rainy in Seattle but it's beautiful. It's a hidden pearl. And people here respect your private life.

I break out in a rash if I go to the gym; all I did was shave my chest.

I think Unai did a great job and was a great leader, and a fantastic coach.

I won almost everything there is to win and I look back with great memories.

I am not a big gym fan.

West Ham have a great academy.

I went to West Ham in order to play against Arsenal as often as possible.

I lived on being a quick player and my hamstring was breaking every time I made a quick move. I wondered what the hell was going on.

It takes time to know what makes an individual player tick.

I don't want to sound bigheaded or anything, but when you reach a certain level of recognition or fame, or whatever you want to call it, when you're young the first couple of years you think, 'Oh, this is fun.'

You can see players do things in training that aren't a problem but they can't in a game situation. You have to work on it, relax and be brave.

Arsenal showed the door to too many people. Why did they let Thierry Henry go? When I found out about his move I realised the Arsenal I played for were finished.

I'm really excited by this opportunity to continue helping develop and work with some of the great young players we have coming through in the first-team environment and to work alongside Unai and his coaching team to help Arsenal win trophies.

I like entertaining football but, at the same time, you can't concede goals. That's a tricky balance to find.

When I went to Seattle, it was quite a quiet town and we made it the biggest soccer following in America. We didn't have the paparazzi, though, and I needed that at the time.

When you play against a Spanish team, especially Madrid, it is quite an open game.

I loved my time in Japan, and I am grateful to have had the chance to live in Japan and embrace the Japanese culture.

Sweden usually don't play good against the poor teams. We like being the underdogs.

I was an underwear model for Calvin Klein for a few years. It is not something I wanted to do at first. I never regretted it, but I am a shy person, and to stand there buck naked in front of a camera was scary.

I do my job - I don't try to seek the spotlight; that's not my way.

Every time I sprinted 100 per cent, my hamstring broke. But I knew if I didn't sprint 100 per cent, I could keep on playing, so that's what you do. I was just lucky it was discovered in America and I haven't had one problem since. I feel I can run past people again and that feels nice.