Official: Ljungberg To Join Seattle

MLS Daily has confirmed that former Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg has signed a contract to become Seattle Sounders FC’s Designated Player, and will be unveiled during an 11 a.m. press conference on Tuesday at Qwest Field. A public rally has been planned for 5 p.m. today to greet the superstar and welcome him to Seattle.

Photo proof: Ljungberg caught at a Seattle Starbucks earlier this week. [Echo]

According to the report, the Swedish star will be earning somewhere in the range of $5 million over the course of his two-year contract. If true, that would make him the third-highest paid player in MLS, behind David Beckham and Cuauhtemoc Blanco.

“It’s perfect,” Ljungberg was quoted as saying. “I love it here and this feels great.”

Ljungberg, who will turn 32 in April, spent 1998-2007 with Arsenal, scoring 46 goals in 216 appearances. He moved to West Ham in July of 2007 but would only be with them for one season, as the club opted to buy out the rest of his contract this past August, making him a free agent.

He has also made 75 appearances for the Swedish national team, scoring 14 goals from 1998-2008. He was on their roster for both the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and captained the side in the recent Euro 2008 competition. Following their last game of the group stage, a 2-0 defeat to Russia, Ljungberg announced his retirement from international football, which means that Seattle won’t have to worry about losing the star for international matches which often fall in direct conflict with MLS fixtures on the calendar.

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